Shop Girl
by fandom-duty-honor
Summary: He comes in every Thursday night to watch her fold jeans. This was his favorite part of his Thursday. When she turned around to look at him, Wally was certain time slowed down. Or stopped. It was frame by frame. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail that seemed to dance as she turned her head. AU. Spitfire. Supermartian. BabsxDick. Others? Hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

He comes in every Thursday night to watch her fold jeans. It sounds stupid, but there was something about the way she did it that was heavenly. It was the faces she made as she tried to reach the tops of the shelves. She always folded the jeans a little harsher after someone messed up her perfect piles, the sound of her snapping the denim filling the store.

This is one of the few nights Wally let his best friend Dick tag along. In his mind it's less creepy if he has someone with him. He'd rather have someone to converse with as opposed to awkwardly staring her down all night. That was creepy.

"Is today the day?" Dick asked as he looked through racks of shirts, not that it mattered. There wasn't much he could afford after buying his college textbooks. He should have just found them online.

"No. It will never be the day because she's probably out of my league," Wally sighed. He was actually hiding behind a rack while watching her. Again, trying not to be creepy.

"Everyone's out of your league. I'm out of your league." He put the shirt he was holding back on the rack. There was no way he could afford it.

Wally turned around looking defeated. "What good are you?"

Dick adjusted his sunglasses and smiled. "Trolling"

Wally smacked his friend on the back of the head. This was not the kind of encouragement he needed, and it was already later than he had intended on it being. He had to make some kind of move soon. At least ask her about the sale or something.

"Will you just grab your belt or whatever bullshit item you're buying tonight so we can leave? We've been standing by these shirts for 10 minutes." Dick could understand why his best friend would, for lack of a better word, stalk the shopgirl, but he also grew tired of being Wally's beard when they were at the mall. They were clearly not having "Quality Bro Time" as it was referred to.

Wally sighed again and grabbed a pair of boxers off the wall. He's pretty sure he has a couple pairs of these exact ones at home, but it's an excuse to talk to her so it's worth extra underwear. He walked over the wall of denim and tapped the girl on the shoulder. This was his favorite part of his Thursday.

When she turned around to look at him, Wally was certain time slowed down. Or stopped. It was frame by frame. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail that seemed to dance as she turned her head. Her eyes were some strange grey color he had never seen before. Once Dick had asked him to describe them and he could only respond by quoting _How I Met Your Mother. _She didn't look surprised to see him standing behind her, but the way her lips parted gave her a look of feigned shock. It was stunning.

"Heeey..." He was trying not to be awkward, but it couldn't be helped. He held up the boxers in his hand. "Do you mind?"

The girl looked to the counter to see if there was anyone already there. It wouldn't be the first time he had asked her to personally check him out. There was no one at the register, so she smiled and looked back at him. "Sure."

They reached the counter and she started processing the purchase. "So, Wallace West." She had learned his name after handling his credit card about a dozen times. "More underwear. You must really go through these and socks." Her voice held a hint of teasing.

"Yeah, I just keep ruining them!" Oh great. He would say something like that. Her eyebrows rose in a combination of shock and amusement. "Not like that! I just...underwear?"

The girl laughed, and it did not help the situation. She had a wonderful laugh that was dry and almost silent. Wally held is head in hands. This was going swimmingly.

Suddenly Dick was at his side, or maybe he had been there all along. Wally could never tell. "Artemis, huh? You named after a cat or a goddess?" Wally had never been happier to see him.

"Neither as far as I know. Nice reference though." She smiled at the smaller boy before returning to Wally. "$10.87, Wallace West."

"Wally. Just Wally. Definitely not Wallace." He finally moved his hands to give her the credit card.

"Or Wall-man. He loves being called Wall-man." Dick teased.

"Wall-man? You should get that put on the card." Artemis said enjoying Wally's distress.

"I just want my underwear and to go home and drink until I do something even more embarrassing than this."

"It won't take much" Dick laughed.

"Oh now there is something I would like to see." Artemis handed the poor kid his bag with a look of exaggerated pity. Their fingers met for a brief moment, and Wally swore his heart skipped a beat. "Unfortunately," she continued, "my place is here until close."

"Well next time you don't have to close you can join me in watching Wally drink himself into oblivion." Dick stuck his hand out to shake the girl's.

"That is a plan." Artemis accepted and shook Dick's hand to seal the agreement.

"I hate both of you." Wally grumbled as he turned towards the door.

"But you don't even know me!" Artemis countered as she followed them, breaking at the denim wall.

Wally and Dick headed towards the car as the latter tried not to snicker too obviously. Wally could feel the blush rising in his ears. This was not good.

* * *

"So he asked her?" Barbra asked. Wally groaned and shoved more nachos in his mouth.

"Can we please stop talking about it?" He had wanted to drink his embarrassment away at home. Alone. Watching _X-men_. His favorite way to wallow.

"No, I asked her. Wally was too busy talking about ruining his underwear." Dick laughed and attempted grab a fry off of Barbara's plate before she swatted his hand away.

"Dude." Conner had a look of immense confusion on his face as he put his arm around his girlfriend. Wally was dying on the inside.

The group of them sat in their usual booth at bar, a little dive aptly called The League. Each friend had a specific spot around the table - Barbara, Dick's on again, off again girlfriend, was on the end with Dick to her side. Wally sat in the middle of the rounded booth so he could sample all the food. He hadn't told anyone that was why, but they figured it out soon enough. Next to him was usually their friend Cal, but he was studying abroad that semester. Instead was Megan, Conner's wisp of girlfriend. The hulking boy rounded out the booth at the end across from Barbara, glaring at any server that paid too much attention to his very friendly (and very pretty) girlfriend.

"Oh come on! It couldn't have been that bad." Megan took a sip of her water, and god bless her she was always the optimist.

Wally continued to groan. "No, it was. She actually knows me by name because I keep buying socks and underwear." Dick let out the laughter he had been stifling, Barbara also starting to giggle. "I hate you," Wally said into his glass as he took an all too big gulp of his beer.

"Hate me all you want, but I got her name as well as her to show interest in seeing you outside of underwear purchasing. If not for me, you would be wallowing in embarrassment _and _self pity." Dick hit Wally on the back causing him to cough up most of what he had just drank. He shot his friend a look before attempting to swat him in retaliation.

"Name? What's her name?" Megan asked excitedly. "Wally we need a name for the lovely blonde face you have been telling us about for months."

Wally blushed furiously and mumbled something into his food. The way the night was going, they would probably make fun of her name as well.

"What was that? We couldn't hear you," Barbara teased him, and put an exaggerated hand up to her ear. All eyes were on Wally, except Conner's who seemed to preoccupied with his own plate of fries.

"Artemis. Her name is Artemis. Happy?" Wally returned his companions' stares with one of his own. Dick never seemed to stop laughing and Barbara's teasing grin moved from Wally to Dick. Megan tried (in vain) to contain her emotions. Conner continued to eat in silence.

"Artemis!" Megan said, trying the name out with her own tongue. "Oh, that is so pretty, and not something you hear everyday. You think she was named after the goddess? Is she Greek?"

"Yeah, has she pledged a vow of maidenhood to her father?" Dick asked as he placed a glass to his lips. Wally shot him _the look _and drank from his own glass. Had he known he was going to be interrogated, he wouldn't have agreed to come out tonight.

"Did you get her number?" Conner had finally stirred from his meal. "Or at least a full name to Facebook her or something?"

Wally blanched. He had made so much progress today. He got her name. She had showed some form of interest in seeing him sometime in the future. He had even managed to be inappropriate yet charming! But not once did he think to ask how to contact her. He was basically back at square one! Within seconds he finished what remained of his beer and poured another.

"That would be a no," Dick laughed as his friend continued to drink.

* * *

**Uh, hey guys. Thanks for the read. This is one of the many ideas floating around in my head that I decided to jot down after the success of Undapants. The sequel to that is coming along, and will be up shortly. Meanwhile, enjoy whatever this is haha.**

**laters.**


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as she walked into her apartment, Artemis fell face first into the couch. Her feet worked around her shoes as she tried to pry them off shoe by shoe, sock by sock. She turned herself slightly to access the room. Still a mess. Tv on. Laptop running on the coffee table. Bottles of wine, Chinese takeout boxes. Ugh.

"Socks or underwear?" a voice in the kitchen asked.

"Underwear. The same pair he's bought twice now," she responded.

"Hmmm." The voice voice hummed. "Any new developments?"

Artemis groaned. "With what? He comes in to buy underwear. I sell it. Hardly a relationship with a guy I don't even know."

"That's why you slip him your number!" The voice grew louder and Artemis looked up to find her roommate Zatanna looming over her.

"Again, I don't know the guy."

"But then you'll never know how much Ron wuvs you!" Zatanna sat down beside Artemis, and the two laughed. Ron, as in Ron Weasley was Zatanna's code name for the red head who had taken a liking to her. Zatanna loved the Harry Potter series, and was still waiting for her Hogwarts letter. She couldn't help but see the similarities to the two gingers, especially after hearing he had a shorter friend with scruffy black hair.

"Well," Artemis started, "his friend was there, and did suggest that I join them for a drink sometime, so there's that. Is that enough for you to live out your fantasies with?" She sat right side up so she could talk eye to eye with her friend.

"No! Artemis, you have to understand." Zatanna took her roommate's hands in her own. "I don't have any romantic prospects..." Artemis sighed. _Not again. _"I am dating vicariously through you, so you need to start slutting it up for him, because I don't get laid until you get laid."

"No, you see, even if I do get laid, which I don't plan on happening, you don't, because you are not involved in that. At all."

She removed her hands from Zatanna's and turned on the tv, ending the converstion. There wasn't much on. _Friends_ reruns, _King of the Hill_, news, news,_ Law and Order_, news. Halfheartedly, she stopped on a channel playing old sitcoms, but didn't bother watching. She reached into her pocket for her phone, but sighed when she realized it was lengthy five feet away in her purse. To lazy to get it, her head fell onto Zatanna's shoulder who was now checking Facebook.

"What are you doing?" Artemis asked. Her eyes slid close to the to the sharp rhythm of Zatanna's nails hitting the laptop.

"Nothing." she responded. Mischief was heavy in her voice, but Artemis couldn't bring herself to really investigate. It was too much for the amount of energy she had.

"Then who are you stalking?"

"No one. What's your boyfriend's last name again?"

"Zee, no-"

"I'm not going to do anything, just make suer he's an appropriate match. You know...worth all those cows and hens I'm giving as your dowry."

Artemis sighed. "Speaking of food is there any pizza left?"

"Uh yeah." Zatanna's eyes never left the computer screen. "In the fridge I think. Grab me a slice?"

"Sure." Artemis got up to the kitchen, stretching her neck as she walked. "His last name is West, and so help me God, if you do something stupid..."

"Yeah yeah..." Zatanna took the slice Artemis offered, her eyes barely leaving the screen. With a quick click she hit send, and quickly changed websites.

* * *

Wally's phone was laying amongst the others on the table when it buzzed. All eyes fell on the phone.

"Do it," Dick leaned over and spoke in his ear. "It could be important."

"No, don't!" Barbara's hand flew over her boyfriend's mouth. "If you pick it up, you'll have to cover the whole bill" Her eyes were filled with terror. Clearly, Barbara was a bit drunk.

Dick clawed at the hand on his mouth "Silence, Babs! Let the man choose his destiny."

Wally didn't respond. His eyes were still focused on the phone. It buzzed again. Still he did not reach for it.

"A man of steel" Dick commented, and Conner grunted.

"Should he really have to pay after all the humiliation you put him through?" Megan asked, her eyes bouncing from Wally to his phone.

"Humiliation is hardly the word I'd use." Dick clapped his friend on the back before continuing. "It was just a a friendly jest between men."

"He does the same thing to Dick about me," Barbara said through her drink.

"Can someone pay so we can go now?" Conner crossed his arms. "Not everyone has the luxury of a 1pm class tomorrow."

The phone buzzed once more, but no one dared touch it. They all stared in silence as the phone slowly began to dim for a third time.

"It's been five minutes. He's not going to touch it," Barbara said as her head made its way to Dick's shoulder. His arm snaked around her back and his head landed on hers. He checked his watch.

"We have 2 minutes to midnight. If he can make it, we pay separate bills."

Seconds ticked by. Everyone's eyes darted between the phone, Wally, and Dick. No one moved.

"And that's midnight. Ladies and gentlemen, grab your bills, grab your phones. It's time to go," Dick announced.

The table seemed to let out a collective sigh as they gathered their things. As they made their way to the cashier, Wally glanced down at his phone to see who had been texting him. _Probably Uncle Barry with more "jokes," _he thought. _Another Doctor Who pun. Oh I can't wait! _He glanced down, but noticed that instead he had two Facebook notifications, which wouldn't have been weird had he not been out with the only people he really talks to on the site. He unlocked his phone going straight to the app. A message and friend request.

"Who wants to be my friend?" Wally asked aloud. He raised his head to look at his friends.

"No one," Dick replied with a snort. He moved aside to let Wally pay.

"Well, someone one does on Facebook," he replied as he pulled out his wallet.

"Oh, meaningful relationship. Can I be in your Top 8 on Myspace?" Dick laughed.

Wally handed his friend the phone. "Just see who it is. I gotta dig for change."

Dick clicked through the app to the friend request. Silently his eyebrows rose.

"You're going to want to see this."

"Just give me a sec," Wally replied, still paying.

The rest of their friends leaned over the phone. Barbara let out some sort of shocked squeal, and Conner snorted. Megan's eyes darted from the phone to the now approaching Wally. He stopped in front on them looking at each of their faces. Whether he should be worried or not, he didn't know.

"What?" he finally asked.

Dick turned the phone around and showed Wally the screen. Pictured was a mass of blonde hair that he would recognize anywhere making a face at brunette.

Friend Requests. Artemis Crock. Confirm or Deny.

* * *

**I pretty much got tired of looking at this chapter, and I'm still not happy with it. Ever have that problem where words just wont work when you want them to?**

**Sorry for the wait, but the next chapters will be up sooner. I actually have some of them already written? Ha whatever. Enjoy~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Are other people having issues putting in breaks? Sometimes it says mine are in, but they don't show up in the actual published piece. That being said, I'm throwing in some random junk so you know FO SHO when the section ends. You will know. And hate me for it.**

* * *

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?" Wally squeaked as he and Dick walked through the door. The two shared an apartment in a complex that housed almost all of their friends. He immediately fell face first into the couch. He was going to die. This would slowly kill him. And he would rot on this couch.

"What did the message say again?" Dick hollered from the bathroom.

On their way back from the bar Wally said nothing, just staring dumbstruck at his phone. Megan and Barbara were going on and on about when would they meet her, should he message her back or text, should he respond tonight? Conner and Dick joked about the prospect of a girl liking Wally, when would they meet her because they need to prepare to humiliate him. Wally kept staring at his phone.

He turned his head enough to read his phone. "'So we can get that drink." He then listed off the ten digits of her number, agony ringing in his voice.

"Hmm...I bet those numbers mean something," his roommate mocked.

"Have you thought about going into police-work? You'd make a great detective." He was not in the mood. This was serious. It was life or death. It was a girl's number. "Seriously. As one of the few guys I know who isn't in a scary or cutesy relationship, you gotta help me."

"My on again, off again relationship is the most stable one you can think of?" Dick asked as he popped his head out of his bedroom. When he had moved there, Wally wasn't sure. "Couldn't you ask your uncle? Doesn't he have the picture perfect marriage in a love story to rival _The Notebook_ dude?"

"How many times has Babs made you watch that?"

Dick pointed an accusatory finger at his roommate. "Stop changing the subject, and stop acting like you're too good for Ryan Gosling."

"_Drive_ wasn't that good!" Wally exclaimed as he finally (and reluctantly) got up from the couch. He might not have an early class the next day, but fatigue was starting hit him like a ton of bricks. Actually interacting with the shop girl, er...Artemis, alcohol, getting Artemis's number, and did he have a test tomorrow? It was too much for one night. He definitely needed to sleep and clear him mind. Maybe tomorrow he would call his uncle. He would have asked his dad, but they didn't exactly have the ideal father-son relationship.

Yes. Sleep would be good.

* * *

~~$~~ooh a new section~~

The next day brought little clarity. At least not when it came to his girl problems, but luckily he didn't actually have a test that day. His mind was not on education. He wasn't even that hungry! The local mexican dive had a lunch special every Friday, but he couldn't bring himself to get his usual two loaded burritos, instead opting for only a quesadilla. This wasn't normal. He _needed _to call his uncle.

...

...

...

No luck, but Wally wasn't too surprised. His uncle held some crazy hours with his job. Somedays he couldn't get a hold of him if his life depended on it, others it seemed like the phone barely had a chance to ring. He quickly dialed his aunt knowing that being forced to stay home for bed rest, she would welcome a distraction.

And the phone barely had a chance to ring.

"Hello?" His Aunt Iris's voice was chipper, and Wally was certain she was excited to be talking to someone who wasn't currently growing in her stomach.

"Hey, Aunt Iris! How's the leave going?" He loved talking to his aunt. They hardly got to talk as much as they had once since he moved away for college, but weekly phone chats quickly became a staple. Iris and Barry were practically Wally's second set of parents.

"You know, it sounded like it would be nice at first, but I'm always uncomfortable and hungry. Never get pregnant, honey."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Wally laughed, "but I do have a favor to ask."

"Of course. What do you need?"

He took a quick intake of air. "Dating advice."

"What did I just say about getting pregnant?" his aunt faked a serious tone before letting out a chuckle. "What's going on?"

Wally told her everything. How he had just run into the store to grab a shirt when he had first seen her making faces as she folded the denim, how she didn't hide her exasperation when someone asked her a stupid question, how her hair was impossibly gold ("Not yellow. Not blonde. Gold. Midas touched her head. She defied genetics!"). He told her that he may or may not have stalked the store trying to figure out when he could see her again, and that he had spent way too much money on underwear in the last month. Iris laughed in all the appropriate (and inappropriate) places and tried not to ooh and aw when her nephew got too caught up in describing the girl.

"And she Facebooked me last night, and gave me her number pretty much out of the blue, but we haven't really talked except for all the occasions at work where I put my foot in my mouth, and how do I respond? Aunt Iris, I've only had a quesadilla today, I don't know what to do!" Wally was talking a mile a minute, which only went to show Iris just how similar Wally was to her husband. It was no wonder they got along so well.

"So you didn't respond at all?" she asked when he finally stopped talking.

"Why would I?" he squeaked. Wally thought it was pretty obvious that he wouldn't. What man in his right mind would respond after making a fool out of himself as much as he had?

"Well," Iris started, "maybe because she sent you her number? Usually that's a good hint that a girl likes you. I could be wrong, though. I don't have much experience."

Wally sighed. Why was everyone responding with sarcasm? Couldn't they take this seriously?

"Do I text her or reply on Facebook?"

"If she bothered to send the number, I'd start there." His aunt was voice was gentle and honest. She had a point, but what if he messed up again? He had never been this over his head with a girl, not even his first crush in sixth grade! "Honey, you're a natural charmer, which is quite apparent seeing as how she still talks to you after the last night's exchange. I'd just lay off the "babes" and "beautifuls", and you'll be fine."

He glanced down at his watch. Class would be starting soon, though he was tempted not to go. Vietnamese lit lectures could be so boring.

"Fine, but if you're wrong, I get to name the kid," Wally resigned.

"Not a chance!" Iris laughed."Now go get her, tiger!"

"Thanks, Aunt Iris." Wally hung up the phone and headed to class.

* * *

~~&%ugh~~#

Artemis walked into the giant lecture hall and took her normal seat at the end of one of the back rows. Sure, she enjoyed the class, but most of what they were discussing was stuff she had learned before or was repetitive. Lit classes. What joy. She burred her nose in her book as the rest of the class shuffled in. The same people sat around her, but she never bothered to befriend any of them. What was the point? No one was taking this class because they liked Asian literature, and many had dropped when they realized they weren't going to be reading Japanese comics (Really. What were they expecting?). She was just here to learn about her family without having to actually talk to her family.

But 90 minutes was way too long for a lecture, so when her phone started buzzing around the 30 minute mark it was a welcome distraction. It was text, but it wasn't a number she recognized, and after further scrutinizing it wasn't even an area code she knew. _Eh what the heck, right? Probably spam..._

It was not spam.

**So about that drink...**

What drink? It had to be a wrong number. Not many people had her number, only the those she would want to talk to at any time of day and her boss. Yep. Wrong number.

_**I think you have the wrong number.**_She definitely hadn't hit on anyone recently (she couldn't say the same for being hit on though).

**Well I hope not. That would be awkward.**

Not really. Wrong number happen all the time. The only thing making it awkward was...it...the person. _**Then who is this?**_

The response was a bit slower than the last.** ...Wally...**

Wally...Wally...Where did she know...?

Oh. _Oh._ The guy who kept coming into work! But how did he..._**How did you get my number, Wall-man?**_

**Please don't actually call me that.**

_**How did you get my number, Wallace? **_She couldn't remember all of their exchanges, but Artemis was fairly certain they never traded contact info. Usually any numbers she gathers go straight to Zee.

_Zee._

Her phone buzzed again. **You sent it to me last night?**

Her roommate was so dead.

* * *

**I AM JUST IN SO MUCH LOVE WITH ALL PARTS OF THIS CHAPTER. I really didn't want to end it here, but it's going to keep you loverly people reading, and it gives me a great spot to start the next chapter. It should be known that I love_ Drive_, and was one of my favorite movies of 2011. I know that some people (cough cough my boyfriend) thought it was stupid, so...**

**Hope you enjoyed this at least half as much as I did. Love you faces :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**How did you get my number, Wallace?**

Wally knew this was a bad idea. Did she really not remember? Maybe it was a joke! She did seem like the kind to pull a prank or two. What if it was Dick? Oh, he would be so dead! But that didn't explain the picture on Facebook, which was definitely Artemis. He had spent enough time staring at it to know.

_**You sent it to me last night? **_

The reply was almost immediate. **No, I didn't.**

_**Something tells me you did...**_

**...On Facebook?**

_**Yup. And a friend request. **_This was the definition of mixed signals. Maybe she just didn't remember sending it to him. It had been almost midnight when his phone started buzzing. Maybe she was just really tired when she did it. His phone buzzed again.

**I hate to break it you, but that wasn't actually me. It was probably my roommate. She thinks she's so funny.**

_**Oh...**_Oh. Ow. Not what he had been expecting. This actually hurt much more than he thought it would. His face fell as he let out an involuntary whimper. Well, that was short lived. _Thanks, Aunt Iris. Hope you enjoy your new child, Chewbacca. _Wally expected that to be the end of the conversation, but his brooding was interrupted by another text.

* * *

_**Not that I'm not happy to hear from you. **_Artemis's finger flew across the keys as she typed out her reply. _Good job, Artemis. Completely crush this kid's hopes and dreams, and it's barely lunchtime._

Moments later she was pulled out of her thoughts when she her an overly excited "YES!". Her head snapped up in the direction of the sound and her eyes widened. Roughly dead center of the hall was a very excited Wally West pumping his fist in the air in victory. He seemed to notice all everyone's eyes on him as he instantly froze before slowly lowered his arm.

_Oh, that's adorable._

_**Do you always get this excited about girls?**_ Artemis smirked as she texted him again, her eyes barely left his seat. This was going to be good.

**What?**

She continued smirking. _**I can see you ;)**_

Wally's eyes flew around the room. She was in the room. And she had seen him make a fool out of himself. Again._ At least you're consistent _he ruefully thought. But where was she? Almost on cue, she replied.

**Left side. 3rd row from back. Last seat.**

His head whipped around so quickly it popped in three places, but boy was it worth it. Their eyes locked and she gave a smirk he was so accustomed to seeing. Wally was certain he looked like a deer in headlights. He gave a brief wave which she returned with a giggle. She looked down quickly, and his phone buzzed seconds later.

_**Hello, Wallace.**_

* * *

She was waiting at the end of his row when class let out, but he could hardly believe she was standing there, head cocked to one side, arms crossed over her chest, smirk in place.

"Most people would consider this harassment," she said as she locked eyes once again.

"I think it's just stalking at best," Wally replied. He made his way to the end of the row and matched her stance. They stared at each other for a few seconds before she broke into a smile.

"You're a creep, you know that?"

"Hey, you approached me. What does that say about you?"

"Have you eaten yet?"

Wally's stomach instantly growled. "Not in the last hour and half," he said with a chuckle.

"Well I'm done for the day until work. Care to join me for some cheap Mexican cuisine?"

His stomach growled again. "I would love some cheap Mexican cuisine."

They walked in silence to the same dive Wally had gotten lunch in earlier. Feeling the anxiety leave his body, he finally felt comfortable (and hungry) enough to order his usual burritos. Artemis's look of shock was not lost on him, encouraging him to share the queso he had ordered on a whim. The conversation didn't resume until they sat down to eat.

"Eat much?" Artemis asked eyeing Wally's mountain of burritos.

"I am treating myself, thank you very much. Plus I have a very fast metabolism. I'm always hungry," he replied diving right in to the queso. It wasn't too spicy and each bowl had a serving of refried beans at the bottom. Delicious.

"Really..." she said, drawing out the word. She picked at her own lunch before continuing. "Special occasion?"

"Well," Wally started as he quickly swallowed his food, "it's Friday, and I always celebrate the end of the week. Tomorrow is my best friend's quirky girlfriend's birthday so I need to carbo-load. Finally, I got to see you a full six days ahead of schedule"

"You have a schedule for me? You are the nicest stalker ever!"Her voice carried a heavy sarcastic tone.

Wally grimaced. "Is it really that weird?"

"To be honest I hadn't even noticed until about two or three weeks ago? One of my coworkers pointed it out to me." She promptly finished her lunch, and met his gaze. "I've been in more threatening situations with guys."

Wally wasn't sure how to react. He hated knowing that there were guys that had potentially done worse than him. "Really? It gets worse that this?"

Artemis shrugged and got a far away look in her eye . "I don't really like to talk about it. At least with you, you would buy something in stead of just staring me down or something. And I can usually pick up on the creeps." She smiled. "You seem like a good guy. A dork, but nice."

"Do you want to go to Barbara's party with me? That's Dick's girlfriend - he was the guy in the shop with me yesterday? It'll be small, not a kegger or anything, and everyone's really nice." The words poured out of him before his brain could tell himself to stop. Confusion and embarrassment hit so quickly that he could hardly control his face. He was sure he looked both desperate and distressed. _Get a grip, man! It's just a girl. We have handled girls before._

Her face looked equally surprised at his outburst before morphing into laughter. It hardly helped to boost his self-esteem. "What time?"

"Uh, probably not until eight or nine? Most of Barbara's usual party antics don't start until everyone shows up."

"Sure. I haven't had a day off in a while anyways." She checked her phone before looking back at him.

His heart leaped in his chest as he felt his face transformed into a huge grin. "Great! Well, I can text you later tonight with more specifics. And I'm not making you late for work, am I?"

She smirked in response, and Wally could only hope his humiliating actions were somewhat endearing. "No, I'm fine, I think I might head home to change soon, but I really enjoyed seeing you today."

"Yeah, it was definitely a surprise." The two gathered their things to leave and headed towards the door. "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." He held the door open for her and made a grand bowing gesture.

"I look forward to hearing from you, _Wallace,_" she replied walking out the door. Wally sighed.

"I told you it's just Wally!"

Artemis was already heading in an opposite direction. "Later, Wall-man!" She didn't bother turning around, simply waving a hand over her head. When he was certain she couldn't see him, Wally shoved his fist in the air once more.

Oh, he was falling hard.

* * *

**A shorter chapter, but I have plans for the next one. Ah yes. The next chapter has been written for 2 weeks now :D Hopefully they aren't too out of character, and Wally doesn't come across as solely a love-struck puppy (but he would so be one). I hope you enjoyed this, and continue to do so. Have a good week!**

**Disclaimer that I don't own the characters because it makes a ~difference~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Later than I had planned, but here it is. Originally this was going to be a loooooong chapter, but I think splitting it in two will just flow better. Plus this way all the chapters will be more or less the same length.**

**I'd like to thank you all for the wonderful reviews and support. I'm flattered beyond belief. Real talk, y'all.**

**To Mikeyf1115 and Roxy-Bluff: I have no idea if I'm going to touch DickxZatanna in any way. I purposely introduced Dick and Babs as having an on again/off again relationship because of comic canon and in case I decided to throw the Chalant pairing in there. That part is all up in the air. I love both pairings though, so I really can't decide!**

**I also have no idea if I'll be throwing in any M rated material. If I did, it wouldn't be smut. Again, up in the air.**

* * *

Once again, Wally flopped face first into the couch when he got home, only this time it wasn't out of depression. He was elated, over the moon, he could run around the world if he wanted.

Dick had been already been sitting on the couch eating a late lunch when Wally practically fell on top of him. It was a miracle his lunch hadn't been sent all over the two of them, or that Wally's head hadn't actually landed in his lap. That would have been painfully awkward. Emphasis on painful.

He rubbed his hand in the mess of red hair. "Bad day, puddin'?"

Wally rolled over and quickly realized how close he was to his roommate. He scrambled upwards before finally sighing. "I had a great day."

"Aw. Tell me all about it, sweetheart," Dick replied as he continued eating. It was completely common for the two of them to use petnames as they had been for years, which sparked some pretty strange rumors for them around high school. Unfortunately for those who started them, Wally and Dick had played right into it.

"You will never guess who I ran into today." Wally hand found its way to his chin as he attempted to replay the afternoon in his mind.

"Artemis," Dick guessed, not even missing a beat.

"How'd you know?" Wally's day dream was cut short by his friend's annoyingly accurate guess.

"You only get that dreamy over a very few women. One of them was my aunt. Still weird, by the way."

Wally shrugged. "Not for me. But seriously, how cool is that? First the number, now I find out she's in my Viet Lit class."

Dick's head shot up from his plate. "Really? You've been following this chick since the semester pretty much started, and you're just now finding out she's in one of your classes? How many weeks has it been?"

Wally scowled. It's not like Vietnamese Literature was the most fascinating topic. He had been hoping for some works out of the Vietnam War era, but was sorely mistaken. Now his parents were paying for him to take a 90 minute nap every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He grabbed a chip off his friend's plate before picking up the conversation.

"Anyways, I kind of invited her to Barbara's party tomorrow. You think she'll mind?"

"Do I think she'll mind if you bring a date? Hmmm That's going to be a tough one," he mocked, pretending to seriously ponder the question. Wally hadn't noticed that Dick had already moved to the kitchen in the span of the last two seconds. "She likes meeting new people, she likes hearing about what's-her-name-"

"Artemis,"

"Right, and there is a good chance she is going to be drunk. I say go for it."

"Good. I didn't want to impose or anything," he replied as he headed for his room.

"Yes you would!" his roommate responded. It was true. Wally liked Barbara, but he also liked annoying Barbara, and had since they met. He flopped down on his bed and opened his computer, expectations for the next night building with each passing moment.

* * *

"Now I have to warn you...they're kind of excitable. At least the girls are. And Dick. Plus the whole college party thing... Conner's quiet though. You'll like Conner."

"I've done the "whole college party thing"," Artemis assured him. She playfully hit his arm. "Actual college student, remember? I do homework and everything."

"I know. I know," Wally rubbed the back of his neck as they walked. "They're just really excited that I'm bringing a date, and one who we haven't know for the last 4 years, so-"

"Date?" Artemis asked causing Wally to stop dead in his tracks.

"I-I...I didn't say date. I said girl...I said female human."

She turned around to face him, but kept walking. "No, it's fine. Now I know whether or not to put out." She gave him a cheeky grin at his dumbfound look. "Come on, you gotta lead the way. I don't know where we're going!"

There weren't many people there when Wally and Artemis arrived, but Barbara always preferred smaller groups for her birthdays. They walked through the door and were immediately spotted by Dick whose face morphed into an impish grin. The rest of the group followed his line of vision to Wally, and all eyes fell on Artemis. Barbara was the first to greet them, running towards the door.

"Ahh! You're here and you have to be Artemis. Hi, Wally. It's so good to meet you and not have to listen to him mope. I'm Barbara, by the way. Not usually so giddy, but I mean birthday, alcohol, finally getting to meet you. Gah!" She pulled a very surprised Artemis into a tight squeeze, each sentiment emphasized by a sudden jerk or wiggle from Barbara. Artemis hardly considered herself a "people person", and was definitely not a "hugger". Her face instantly betrayed her discomfort.

The redhead let go before looking between the two. "Fracking adorable. Anyways, I'll get drinks and..." She took a dramatic pause, giving Wally a knowing grin. "The supplies. Wallace, introduce these delinquents."

Artemis remained tense from her sudden contact with Barbara. She turned to look at Wally who shrugged in response.

"I told you. Excitable. Now let's see." He pointed to the largest of them who hardly looked like he was having fun. "The big guy's Conner. The tiny thing next him is his girlfriend Megan." Megan waved excitedly from her perch on Conner's lap, the latter only nodding slightly. "This one is Raquel. Do not listen to her when she talks."

"I heard that, Baywatch!" Artemis's eyes landed on a tuff of spiky black hair sticking up from the couch as well as an extended middle finger.

"Baywatch?" Artemis turned to Wally. This sounded like a good story.

"We're not talking about that."

"I have a feeling you will be!" Raquel poked her head up above the cushions to stick her tongue out at him when she glanced at Artemis. "Ho-ly crap! She is pretty."

"Um, thank you?"

Raquel's body twisted so that she was now facing Artemis. "So you agree? You think you're really pretty?"

"Nope. Stop. Stop stop." An arm worked her way around her shoulder, and Artemis half expected it to belong to Wally. When she looked, however, she came face to face with a pair of blue eyes.

"If you let her quote _Mean Girls_, she'll never stop. Nice to see you again. I'm Dick by the way."

"Right. You were in the store with the Wallman the other day." Though she didn't actually know him, Artemis was thankful for at least one quasi-familiar face. She was just glad it was a small party._ I don't think I could handle many more if they're all as extroverted as Wally. _Just then Barbara returned, two cases of PBR in had and her iPod in her mouth.

"Are you guys ready?" she mumbled with the player in her mouth. She spat it out in her boyfriend's already extended hand as she set down the two cases.

"I can't believe we're still playing this! How long has it been?" Megan asked.

"It's only been two years for me," Raquel responded and caught the cans that were quickly thrown towards her. She tossed them over to Megan and Conner before turning to catch a few more.

Wally led Artemis over to a spot on the floor next to Megan. Artemis once again found herself in a tight squeeze. Megan attempted to apologize profusely - she was just so excited, you know, but Artemis could hardly be upset with her. Something about this girl just screamed "Let me braid your hair. We're watching_ Legally Blonde_ tonight."

"Let's see...Barbs, Dick, and I have been going for six years, so five for Megan and Conner?" Wally turned to the two for affirmation and received a noncommittal shrug from Conner.

"Someone want to let our newest recruit know what's going on?" Dick hooked up Barbara's iPod and cycled through the music.

"That would be nice..." She looked to Wally as he handed her a can.

"So Barbara, Dick, Megan, Conner, and I all met at this camp we went to in high school. Cabins, s'mores, friendship bracelets, etc. We also got to do a big service project during the stay."

"We got to help out on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition once!" Megan excitedly added.

"How did you pull that off?"

"Camp's run by the Martha Wayne Foundation," Wally replied. "Anyways, in order to make friends and get to know each other we would institute a game of Never Have I Ever each year. It's sort of become a tradition, although now that we're older we can talk about the good stuff and take a drink for everything we have done."

Artemis held back a laugh. "Like the game from ninth grade?" Before anyone could answer the all too familiar intro to "Sugar, We're Goin Down" started through the speakers. She couldn't believe it. "It's exactly like ninth grade. Doesn't it get old, though? You guys have probably heard everything a million times."

"That's the fun part." Raquel winked. "We don't tell everyone _everything_ that happened over the year. Some stories are reserved specifically for I've Never." She took a sip of her beer. "Oh that reminds me. If it's a good story, we're going to have to insist that you share with the class."

"But if it's like super personal, we totally understand. You don't have to spill everything." Megan put her hand on Artemis's shoulder, causing her to naturally jerk in response.

"Alright, enough yammerin, put up yer dukes. Let's start." Dick sat on the couch between Raquel and Barbara and gave Artemis a playful grin. "The guest of honor way go first."

Artemis raised her fingers as she met his grin. "Right. Never have I ever...stalked someone at their place of work." Her eyes flew to Wally who was now turning a bright shade of red. "Take a drink."

Laughs and whoops rose from the others as Wally opened his can. "I'm going to get you back for this," he challenged.

Artemis accepted with a raise of her eyebrows, her smile growing larger.

Barbara shook her head. "Oh, I knew I was going to like her."

* * *

**Ah yesssss! Next chapter will be where the real fun begins. I can assure you that chapter 6 won't be posted until the 26th at the earliest. Love them midterms!**

**Have a great rest of your week, guys :D**

**UPDATE: A poll has been added to my profile concerning the whole Dibs vs Chalant thing. I have a story planned out either way, but it would be nice to know what everyone thinks. Be sure to check it out. Tell your friends, tell your tumblrs, tell your moms.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I told you it would be late, and I was true to my word. Thank you all for the kind words and the patience as I rip my hair out over midterms.**

**Now, please enjoy :D**

* * *

Artemis wasn't sure if it was the slight pounding in her head or the faint scent of coffee in the air that woke her up, but which ever one it was, she would have appreciated one more hour of sleep. She wiped the sleep from her eyes as they opened and scanned the room. It was one of those organized messes where everything had a place, but that place was just on the floor. The dresser across the room was covered in books and medals. Posters and pictures littered the walls, the central once being the image of Einstein that makes its way to all dorm rooms. Her eyes closed once more as she willed her headache away. That was when she shot up.

This wasn't her room. Her room faced a different direction and was clean. Her room had a poster of Mark Nutt and one of Jeremy Renner on her ceiling. Her room was in a different side of campus.

She looked down and found that she wasn't even wearing her own shirt, unless she completely forgot about running track in high school. _At least I'm not naked this time. That's a first!_

Raising her arms above her head, she got out bed. Artemis really wanted to know what had happened to her pants. Or where she could find some of that coffee and...was that bacon? Her stomach let out a surprisingly loud growl which alerted her to just how hungry she was. She ran her fingers through her hair and walked out the door, her nose for her guide.

Her feet padded along the carpeted hallway as she made her way to what she hopped was the kitchen, but really, where else would bacon be? As she turned a final corner her nose was greeted with a fresh wave of delicious breakfast. In the corner near the sizzling bacon stood Wally on his phone. Artemis's eyes flicked between the shirtless figure and cooking food. She really wasn't sure which was a more pleasant sight and the moment. It was right when her eyes started to linger on Wally that her thoughts were interrupted.

"Mornin', Sleepin' Beauty," he said without looking up from his phone. He typed out a few more words before setting it down and returning to the bacon. "Hope you're not a vegetarian because I literally made 2 packs of bacon." He turned around to give her a quick grin before quickly turning back around. "And you're not wearing pants."

"And you're not wearing a shirt."

"That's completely different," he responded. Artemis couldn't help but smile. He gave off such an air of lady-killer the night before, but by himself? Wally was...courteous? Thoughtful? Normal.

"So," he started again. He moved the bacon off the heat and onto a paper towel. "how drunk were you last night?"

"Not very. I remember all the guts I spilled last night. Took me a sec to remember where I was when I woke up, though," she chuckled. "You have enough nerd gear in that room?"

"One. You should see my room at home. Two," he put a cup of coffee down in front of her before feigned shock. "How dare you? My bed is incredibly comfy. I don't let just any girl sleep in there. Cream or sugar?"

She shook her head as she took a sip. "So where did you sleep?"

"In my bed."

Artemis struggled to not spit out the coffee she had been about to swallow. It wasn't a repulsive idea, she just figured she would remember..._that_.

Wally immediately sprung up to get her a napkin. "I'm kidding I'm kidding. It was a joke I was in Dick's room. I figured you would beat me up if pulled a move like that."

She wiped the hair from her eyes. "So we didn't...?"

"No, no. I mean it had crossed my mind, I am a guy, but after everything you said about your dad, and that one guy...It just really wasn't the right time."

A wave of relief washed over after hearing that they hadn't done anything, but hearing mention of her father completely dampened the mood. "Yeah. He tends to ruin everything."

* * *

"Ok...Never have I ever...been in jail," Megan said as she strained for a situation.

"Like sentenced to prison or just been in one? Because I've been taken downtown for carrying these guns without a license." Raquel finished the sentence by flexing her arms and giving each bicep a kiss. The group laughed as she continued to flex her lean arms.

"Um both? I've never even been near a prison."

Dick shrugged as he put down a finger, bringing his total down to five. "Shadowed once last summer. Criminology. You know how it is." He took a drink and threw his can out for another one.

Slowly Artemis brought her finger down, also leaving five left. She took a drink. Then another. And another until it was empty.

"That sounds like a story to me." Dick joked as he tossed her another can.

"My dad put my mom in jail," she said bluntly. She popped the tab and took a swig. _Don't get mad. It's not their fault. You promised not to hold anything back with them. _

"May I ask what she did?"Megan asked. Her timidness seemed to resonate throughout the room. It was nice of her to ask if she was even allowed to talk about it. Most people just assumed her mother was a criminal or that they could ask her as many questions as they wished. Just the politeness of it all made her more willing to share. She sighed.

"My mother didn't actually do anything wrong. My dad owned a sport shop that was mildly successful for a local place. Mom didn't work much because she was too busy with my sister and me, but sometimes she'd work the register. Dad mostly stayed in the back or the basement, working invetory, or at least that's what I was told. I wasn't allowed back there." She stopped to take a drink. How'd she get in this mess? Was she really going to spill it all? _Yes. The last time you waited too long, and they were untrusting. And they told you their secrets. _She continued.

"Turns out my dad was smuggling weapons with the shop as front. There was a lot of gang and mob activity where I was from, so it was very easy for him to find a market. Eventually one of the mobs found out he was selling to everyone, not just his family. Apparently he didn't understand the concept of an arms dealer. So essentially a turf war breaks out in my dad's shop. Cops are called, dad makes like a bat out of hell, and mom gets shot in the middle of it all. Being the clever man my dad is, his name isn't on any of the papers for building, just my mom's. Long story short, she goes away for the time he should have served, and dad came back like nothing ever happened. I visited her every day I could. And that's...my family."

All eyes were on her, but this wasn't what she expected. No one looked horrified or shocked. They looked sad, but supportive. Sympathetic. She looked down when she felt a hand on her leg and up to its owner. Wally gave a small squeeze and smiled.

"My dad and I fought so much that I eventually just moved in with my aunt and uncle. Almost killed my mom, but she couldn't stand the fights." Artemis's eyes met Wally's and she knew he was telling the truth. The green eyes that seemed to sparkle like the Emerald City had clouded with resentment. His hand was still on her leg, maintaining its comforting squeeze.

"I was a bastard. My dad barely talked to me when we finally met," Conner remarked. Artemis found his eyes as well as Megan's, and gave them both appreciative smiles.

"I was cut off," Dick added. He seemed to sense Barbara's scowl from his statement. "Ok, so I had my title as heir taken away, but still."

"When did that happen?" Wall asked. His thumb was now drawing small circles on Artemis's leg. She tried not to tense from the affection.

"Senior year. Apparently only Ivy League business men can take the reigns, not world famous detectives." He shrugged. Clearly this was eating him up inside.

"See?" Wally turned back to Artemis. "We all have our difficulties."

Her eyes swept the room, momentarily meeting each of their eyes before returning to Wally's. She struggled to keep her smile from growing any larger that it already was.

* * *

"Thank you for not freaking out last night by the way. Most people get uncomfortable when they find my mom was...incarcerated." She spat the final word out. Her mother in no way deserved it.

"Like I said. We all have baggage. It's no biggie." He placed the cooled plate of bacon between them. It seemed like it was an effort for him to not inhale the whole thing.

"Speaking of baggage..." Artemis set her cup down gingerly. This was either going to be an easy conversation or a terrible one. Probably the latter. "I should tell you that I'm not exactly looking to dive right into a relationship or anything." She studied his face before continuing. He didn't look upset or anything, just drinking everything in. "It's not that I don't like you or I'm not interested or anything. I just...well you heard everything last night. I've had about negative one thousand respectable dudes in my life. I just need to get used to this, before it can be a thing..."

She searched for a sign. Any sign. Any sign that she should look for her pants and go. Instead he smiled and stuffed a handful of bacon in his mouth.

"Stop freaking out, will you?" He stood up and grabbed his mug and the bacon and headed for another room. "Do you play video games? There's a Borderlands DLC that I haven't gotten around to."

Artemis sat staring at Wally's now vacant seat, a mystified look plastered across her face. She followed him to the next room, taking her confusion with her.

"What just happened?"

* * *

**Awwww snap! We got deep! Any Rooster Teeth fans will recognize a famous athlete I referenced. I mean, why not, right?**

**For anyone who hasn't visited my profile whatever (so all of you), I have a poll up concerning with whom Dick will be permanently pared off - Babs or Zatanna. I'll give it at least...1 week? If there's not a clear winner Imma toss a coin or eeny meeny miny moe it. So if you have strong feelings, VOICE THEM! I gotta develop that thing quickly before it gets too messy to change anything.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, have a great week. Feel free to review that shit or even drop by to say hi.**


	7. Chapter 7

Artemis walked into her apartment and unceremoniously dropped everything in her arms on the floor next to the door. Zatanna sat on the couch watching tv as she ate out of a Chinese takeout box. A small smile slid across her face.

"That's not the shirt you wore when you left."

"Yeah, but that is the exact position I left you in last night." She sat on the opposite end of the couch and threw her legs up onto the back, relishing in her comfy state. "Please tell me you moved at least once."

"Of course. Where do you think the food came from?" She shoved another bite in her mouth before continuing through her chewing. "I went out with Karen for a bit, but that's all boring stuff. Tell me about your night." Zatanna paused the tv and turned to face her roommate who was mid eye-roll.

"There's not much to tell. His friends are all really nice, and we drank some, and I crashed at his place. Now I'm here." Artemis had started playing the ends of her ponytail, a telltale sign that she was lying, or at least not telling the whole truth. Zatanna had caught on to the sign very early in their friendship, but she knew the best way to get around it was just to keep asking questions.

"Why are you wearing what I assume is his shirt?"

"It was comfier than what I was wearing."

"Did you sleep with him?"

"Nope."

"Did you _sleep_ with him?"

"Nope."

"Are you guys at least dating?"

"Nope."

"What?!" It was the moment she had been dreading. Her roommate knew why she would never rush into a relationship, but sometimes Artemis wondered if she actually understood.

"Why?" Zatanna asked. She was clearly trying not overreact.

"You know why." Artemis kept her attention on the ends of hair, twirling them around her finger to create soft waves.

"But you've been out with guys since that, done all that stuff. Why's is he any different?"

Artemis flicked her hair behind her head as met her best friend's eyes. "Because he _is _different. I like Wally, but I've liked other guys, too. I'm not going to blindly rush in like I did before. If that means keeping him at an arm's length, I'll take that."

The two sat in silence. Zatanna stabbed her fork into her box of rice and Artemis picked at her nails. Both knew exactly to whom Artemis was referring, but neither said a word. They sat like that for a couple moments, drinking in the heavy quiet. Finally Artemis broke the silence.

"I told them about dad..." She reached over her roommate for a box of Chinese. To her surprise it was partially full, but that quickly turned to disappointment when she looked in to find cashew chicken.

"Are you trying to scare them all off?" Zatanna switched boxes, giving her friend the pepper steak she knows she was looking for. Instead of a thanks, she received a the trademark Artemis Crock glare. Zee felt herself shrink into the couch. "Sorry. I just...you remember what happened last time you told a guy. It was freakout city."

Artemis picked out the biggest piece of steak she could find and popped it in her mouth. "I didn't tell them everything. Just what he did to mom. They don't know all the glories of my messed up childhood."

Zatanna gave her a sympathetic look. Neither of them had the most heartwarming family stories, but Artemis had something straight out of a soap opera or those romance novels she hid under her bed. It had been difficult, but somehow she was surviving. She kept busy. The busier she was, the less she had to think about it.

"Oh but here's the kicker." She swallowed between words. "After I told them that, they all opened up with drama of their own. And I mean big drama, not just my boyfriend cheated on me drama. Like relatable drama."

"So...you made friends. That's...good."

Artemis face-planted into Zatanna shoulder and let out a loud groan. "I hate my life."

She patted her friend's head before laying her own on top. "So when do I get to meet him? And does he have any single friends?"

"You're not helping!"

"I'll take that as a no..."

* * *

Wally's eyes stared into the television screen. He hadn't moved in hours, his long legs stretched over the couch as he continued playing video games. His fingers flew over the controls as he fired away into oncoming foes. It was official - he was in a funk. It was rare for him to play this long, or this well. Although he hated to admit it, hearing that Artemis wasn't ready for anything serious was a buzzkill. He tried to play it off, but inside it was killing him.

"So if you're not "a thing", what are you guys doing?" Dick asked. Wally told him just about everything that had transpired after Artemis had left.

"I don't know. Seeing each other? Casually dating? What's the step between confirming your feelings and dating? She did tell me to text her later, but only if I promised not to come into work every week."

Dick laughed. "She's something. Everyone seemed to like her, though. She got Conner to talk, so naturally Megan loves her." Dick walked into his room to change. "Have you heard from Cal?"

"Just what he posts on Facebook. I think he met a girl. Really seems to like her." His eyes were glued to the tv, but his peripherals caught the faint glow of his phone lighting up.

"Awww," Dick's voice now came from the bathroom. "We're all pairing off. That's so cute." There was a pause. "We're not reaching _that age_ are we?"

"I hope not. I can barely manage to get a girlfriend." Wally paused his game to grab his phone.

"Hey, kiddo! Your aunt says you have a girlfriend!" Wally's uncle Barry's voice was bright and energetic as he answered the phone.

"Don't you two have more important things to be worrying about than my love life?" Wally held his phone between his ear and shoulder as he continued playing video games.

"Not for the next couple of weeks, then we can start ignoring your for 18 years." Barry laughed at his own joke while Wally rolled his eyes. _Classic Uncle Barry._ "So tell me about her. Iris says you're smitten."

Wally paused the game and ran a hand through his hair. A sigh escaped his lips that was more content than exasperated. Just as he did with his aunt, he gushed, filling him in on what had happened since Thursday. He hesitated when he got to that morning.

"She said she wasn't ready for anything serious, though. Apparently she had some rough relationships in the past. I tried to act like it wasn't a big thing when she told me, but it's kind of a big thing." His attention was still on the game, preferring to take his emotions out on tiny animated enemies than food or his uncle. Usually Wally turned to running to clear his mind, but even that hadn't helped much.

"Sounds like you're having a better go at it than I did when I met Iris," his uncle laughed.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. Could hardly stand to be in the same town as me nevertheless the same room. But now she's popping out a kind that _I _put there-"

"Gross."

"And I don't think I could be happier."

Wally paused the game once more. "Ok, so how'd you do it?"

Barry's laughter was again heard over the phone. "I was pretty unrelenting, but eventually I was there at the right time."

Wally felt his face go blank before his smacked his forehead. "You're telling me you stalked her."

"Nah, nothing like that. Think of it this way. It's not a chase, because then you'll scare her away, and you're not looking for a change of heart. It's more of a you're there for her, emotionally and whatnot, you'll be able to catch her when she falls."

* * *

Monday rolled around like any other Monday and proceeded like any other. If there was ever an example of having a case of the Mondays, Wally felt like the poster child. Much to his chagrin, he trudged into his Vietnamese class almost dreading facing Artemis. _I just don't think my fragile heart can take more rejection! _he half joked.

His moping was short-lived. Right in his usual seat sat Artemis, nose-first in her book. He smirked as he crossed the row over to her, casually dumping his bag on the ground as he dropped into his seat.

"You know," he mocked, "some would call this harassment."

"Hm. I don't think this even compares to your stalking habits." Her eyes never left the page, but a small smile graced her lips.

"Yeah, but I'm a cute stalker, right? So it's ok."

"Oh yeah. That's totally how that works." Sarcasm suited her so well, and he loved every bit of it.

"What are you reading?" He peered over her shoulder only to have a hand shoved into his face, pushing him away.

"_Good Omens_, and stop licking my hand! You're disgusting!" Wally flashed her an impossibly wide smile as her wiped her hand on his sleeve. Her laughter resonated with genuine joy despite her best efforts to appear angry. "I was going to ask it you wanted to go out again this weekend, with my friends, but after that..."

"I though you said you weren't ready to date."

"I said I wasn't ready to jump into something serious yet." Artemis closed her book and met his gaze. "Like, I'm not going to hop into bed and tell you I love you. I told you I like you. You're a weirdo, but I like you. I just need some time to get to know you, get to know this. And how do single adults get to know each other?"

"They stalk their Facebooks?" Wally smiled again as he feigned realization. "Oh! You mean dates!"

"Great. Another idiot." She rubbed her temples as she gave him a look he could only describe pittying affection.

"Just remember - you like me!"

Artemis shook her head. "This is either going to be the dumbest or best relationship, and for your sake I hope it's the latter."

* * *

**Starts proofing at 9pm. Spends 3 hours completely rewriting work. Still don't like it, but it is muuuuuch better. Not a lot going on, but I think there was some decent character building, and you always need some Zatanna time.**

**Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll and commented on their Dibs vs Chalant feelings. I've taken every vote, opinion, personal feel, etc into consideration and I think I know how I'm going to proceed. However, if you feel the need to get your opinion out there, speak now. **

**More thanks to all of you who read. Chapter 6 hit a viewer high, and I am just so honored :D You're the best!**

**Have a great weekend!**


	8. Chapter 8

**SAY WHAAAA? Is that a longer chappy? Yes, it is! I could NOT stop writing and you would have hit me in the face had I split it up, so in honor of my spring brizzle starting, have an extra 1000 words.**

**Also, this chapter will be where I finally divulge the fate of Dick's relationshippy stuff. I took each and every single comment and vote into consideration, as well as my own thoughts. That poll went back and forth, I swear! In the end, I think what I have works best with the story.**

* * *

The week passed slowly for Artemis as Friday approached. Work was a drag, and her coworkers seemed to notice the absence of Wally on Thursday. Bette, being the first person to notice Wally in the first place, was quick to point out that he was gone, joking that Artemis had scared him off.

"I did not scare him off. If anyone did it was you and the way you would literally stare him down when we were talking." She threw a shirt at Bette's face who easily caught it.

"Don't know what you're talking about." She quickly folded the top before tossing in onto a pile of clothes waiting to go back onto the floor. "So was he a creep or something?"

"He's normal, thank you. We're going out tomorrow so he can meet my roommate and some other people. Nothing fancy."

"Ooh!" Bette's taunting was cut short as a handful of more tshirts were tossed her way. Artemis laughed as they all landed right in the middle of Bette's face. _Served her right..._

When Friday finally rolled around Zatanna started bouncing off the walls, fussing over her own outfit as well as what Artemis should wear. Should she wear heels? Is he bringing a friend? Are you really wearing those boots? Why are you wearing that, you wore it all day! It smells like the library. You should wear his shirt from last week. Guys think that's hot. If she didn't love her best friend so much she'd punch her in the face.

Zee finally approved their outfits, wearing black heels to match her skinny jeans and bright yellow top. It took a lot of persuasion, but somehow Artemis found herself talked into a more fitted version of the white tshirt she had planned on wearing as well as a trendy faux army jacket found in the back of her closet.

"I don't see how this is any batter than what I had picked out." She grumbled as they headed out the door.

"You mean besides this being flattering and hot? Yeah, your worn out sneakers and baggy flannel would have been totally working it."

"I love my flannel," she grumbled. "It was thrifted and already worn in the right places."

"The pockets are ripped in and you can't keep anything in them," Zatanna retorted. "If I buy your first drink will you shut up? We look good, we're going to hang out with friends and have a good night." She slipped her arm through her friend's as the turned the corner towards the bar. "Let's at least pretend to be happy."

The bar was one of the more popular ones on campus, but there always seemed to be room, not matter the hour. Every night offered some sort of drink special, tonight's being half priced Long Islands. Zatanna's eye's lit up at the offer as she turned to her roommate who quickly shot down the idea. Long Islands were the absolute last thing she needed tonight.

Inside they headed towards the back where Karen had texted to look for them. There in the corner she sat with her fiancé Mal, who always seemed so infatuated with Karen, no matter how long they had been dating. Artemis found incredibly sweet even if she wasn't the most romantic person. She was always so happy people could find such joy with others, she just doubted she'd ever be that lucky.

"So where's your man?" Karen asked through sips of her drink.

"He should be here eventually. I texted him to get here around now. I think he's bring a friend, too."

Mal laughed. "Good. He'll need backup between these two, and I'm going to need some more testosterone if we're going to be doing girl talk all night."

"Baby, I told you you didn't have to come."

"You know I just like spending time with you, girl." He planted a kiss on his girlfriend's cheek as she blushed from his compliment. "What's this guy look like anyways?"

Artemis shrugged. "Tall, red head, lot of freckles. A dork."

"He looks like Ron Weasley." Zatanna said as she magically appeared with drinks in hand. "Rum and Coke for you, m'lady." She handed her the drink, and Artemis gladly accepted.

"Like that kid right there?" Karen asked.

The four turned around to see Wally and Dick make their way to the table, their own drinks in hand.

"Looks like Ron brought Harry," Karen joked. "Does that make you Hermione?"

Zatanna turned to Artemis with playful grin on her face. "Dibs."

"No," Artemis started. "No, no, no. He has a girlfriend, they're adorable and happy."

"But-"

The argument was quickly ended as Artemis gave her the look. Dick was off limits.

* * *

Wally quickly spotted the group and lead Dick to their table in the back. He really had no idea what to expect when it came to her friends, but could only assume they were nice...in that Artemis sort of way. It became apparent everyone knew who he was before he had even reached the table as everyone was watching him.

"Do I have something on my face?" he cautiously asked Dick, who also noticed all the attention.

"Maybe they're just surprised that of all the people in the world, she's going for you. I know I am," he replied with a pat on his back.

"Why didn't I bring someone else?" Wally muttered, mostly to himself.

"You have no other friends, man." With that, Dick took the lead towards the table. "This must be the right place. I'm Dick, not the one you're excited about." He introduced himself.

Artemis introduced the rest of the table before turning to Wally, who felt a blush slowly crawling up his neck. "This...is Wally, my..." She paused and gave him a confused look. "This is Wally."

He felt excitement growing as she had started giving him a title, but wasn't too surprised when she failed to find one. They were kind of dating, but it wasn't exclusively, nor did he think it was open. _How many weeks of limbo am I going to be in?_

The night seemed to pass smoothly, and as far as Wally could tell he was making a good impression. He loved talking with Zatanna and could easily see why Artemis would have her as a friend. The brunette brought out a different side to her roommate that was a bit zanier than he had had a chance to see. Karen and Mal gave him that high school sweethearts vibe, and he could tell they were both head over heels, Mal especially.

Once the smalltalk had passed the night slowed down as he stood in a corner taking his surrounding in. Wally felt a small tap on his shoulder and turned to find Zatanna's blue eyes about a few inches from his.

"So I heard you learned about the family the other night..." she started. Something about her voice and posture told him this was going to be a serious conversation.

"Uh...yeah. It's really tragic," he replied. He could only hope that was a decent response.

"Tragic doesn't begin to cover the men in her life."

"Well, hopefully I won't fit in that category." Nervousness was growing inside him and Wally quickly took a drink in an effort to fight it off.

"For your sake, I hope so. If you break that rock hard heart of her's, I will break you." The air around them seemed to darken with Zatanna's threats, and the look on her face was equally dark. Wally swore somewhere he heard thunder clapping off in the distance, but that had to have been his imagination. Within seconds, her face changed to a bright smile. "But you seem so great, Wally, really! Artemis really seems to like you a lot! I really hope we get to hang out more. Do you have any single friends?"

* * *

Artemis sat in the booth facing the wall sipping her drink. The night had calmed down despite the relatively early hour. Mal and Karen ran into an old friend and were off somewhere in the bar, Dick was outside calling Barbara, Wally was in the restroom, and she had no clue where Zee had disappeared to. Hopefully not stalking "Harry", which she insisted on calling Dick behind his back. It was just then that her friend slid into the booth opposite her, anxiety clear on her face.

"We need to leave."

She raised an eyebrow at the demand. "What? It's barely midnight. Calm down." _She probably just saw one of her exes or something._

"No, I'm not kidding. You go outside and wait with Harry, I'll grab everyone else." Something on her face made Artemis think this was serious, but it was always hard to tell with her best friend.

"Wally's in bathroom I'm not just leaving him in here. That totally sends the right message, ya know?"

Artemis watched as Zatanna closed her eyes for a moment, planning her words. "Artemis. We need to go. Someone showed up." The last sentence felt like it weighed fifty pounds, but it was nothing compared to what followed.

"Now I know that isn't Artemis Crock."

Artemis instantly tensed at the sound of the all too familiar voice. The look on Zee's face was almost too painful to regard, and suddenly she wished she had heeded the warning. The blonde mentally prepared herself as she slowly turned around in the booth. Standing behind her stood the last person she had ever hoped to see. What started out as a great night quickly turned south.

"What are you doing here, Cameron?"

The already smug look on his face somehow managed to grow more so. Cameron had never been a very handsome guy, which was a real waste of his ice blue eyes. His harsh features had always appeared rather sharp, but his efforts to grow a goatee only made them more pronounced.

"Came down to visit a friend, but imagine my surprise when I see your unforgettable mess of blonde hair." His eyes flicked to the top of the head but only stayed for a second before roaming south. Artemis could feel her blood beginning to boil.

"Well today must be your lucky day." There was barely a trace of emotion in her voice. She was so shocked to see him standing in front of her that she couldn't even muster the anger she knew she possessed.

He smiled. It was as lecherous as always. "So what have you been up to?" He took a quick swing of his beer, but his eyes never left her. "Seeing anyone new?"

"I fail to see how that's any of your business," she replied, her drink long forgotten on the table.

"Just curious, Arty. Some simple catching up between friends." His tone was playful, but it hardly lightened the mood. At some point during the conversation Wally had appeared at her side, but she didn't notice until Cameron motioned to something behind her. "This a friend of your's?"

She glanced back to briefly catch Wally's worried eyes before returning to Cameron's. "This is Wally. We're screwing," she said bluntly. Artemis prayed that Wally wouldn't get angry. Or excited. She just wanted Cameron gone.

Unfortunately, this only seemed to pique his interest. "You must be a lucky guy. I'm Cameron. Artemis and I dated...for a very long time." He returned his attention back to a fuming Artemis. "Daddy met your new man?"

Anger and sarcasm were starting to fuse within her. "No, you see...I don't let my dad choose my relationships, or my career paths. Amazing what happens when you grow up."

"Hey! I never heard you comp-"

"You know," Wally interrupted, his hand snaking around Artemis's shoulder, "I think we're gonna go home. Watch some _Game of Thrones. _Have you seen that show?" Something in his voice hinted that he wasn't getting ready to nerd out. His eyes darkened and his voice seemed to deepen._ "_There's this one kick ass blonde chick, but this guy she's known most of her life keeps giving her shit and just_ layin'_ in to her. Finally her boyfriend comes out and just starts kicking his ass. It was brutal."

Cameron regarded Wally with an equally dark stare, not backing down from the obvious challenge. "Can't say I've ever seen it."

"Oh. Well you'll have to check it out. It's my favorite show." Artemis had no idea if he was being honest, but she was thankful for the intervention. He turned to her, his eyes still dark. "You ready to go?" She nodded, but Wally had already turned to offer Cameron his hand. "Nice meeting you, Cameron. I look forward to hearing about you."

Cameron shook his hand, but Wally barely maintained a grip long enough for a proper goodbye. They quickly headed for the front door, neither looking back. Artemis looked up him, but his eyes were focused on the exit.

"What about out tab?"

Wally held open the door for her as she headed out. "Zatanna got it. Everyone should be out here."

The group appeared by the building no sooner than he had finished his sentence. Things were obviously tense, and really all Artemis wanted to do was go home. Lay in her bed. Wallow. Everyone said their goodbyes - Dick going to meet Barbara and Karen and Mal going back in to see their friend. Artemis rubbed her temples as she turned to Wally who met her with a concerned gaze. She took a deep breath.

"Do you want to stay the night?" she asked. "Not to...screw...or anything. Hang out..." She laughed. "I have been wanting to watch _Game of Thrones_!"

* * *

"They just shove him out the window?"Artemis turned to Wally, shock evident on her face. "And they're twins, but they're sleeping together." He nodded to both questions before she proceeded. "This is really your favorite show?"

He laughed. "One of them. It's very good. A little weird, but very good."

"Aw, it's just like you." Wally tried to slap her hand away as she leaned over to tussle his hair, but greatly underestimated her speed. Not that he minded the contact.

The two sat on her bed, the lit screen of her laptop providing the only source of light. Wally laid down along the side of the bed against the wall while Artemis sat in a nest of pillows against her headboard. They had both changed into comfier clothes, Artemis begrudgingly giving up Wally's shirt from the previous week. Things got awkward when no bottoms could be found in Wally's size "forcing" him to strip down to his boxers. Luckily Artemis was kind enough to remind him that he'd already seen her underwear. It was only fair. This was the first time he had seen her hair down, and boy, did she have a lot.

"I like Daenerys, though, the kick ass blonde?" She leaned back into her nest and started fiddling with the ends of her hair. "Kinda relatable."

"What? Being sold to a guy you don't know in exchange for some muscle?" Wally started clicking through links for the next episode when he saw Artemis shrug out of the corner of his eye. "What?"

"When my dad finally returned home to, you know, take care of his children...he decided to make some...new business partners, one being Cameron's dad. Dad got a steady client and he got a good discount. As well as collateral should my dad not keep his end of any deals. Cameron's older than me, so I had the joy of growing up even more at a younger age than I would have liked."

Wally's attention was now fully on the girl sitting beside him playing with strands of her hair. Zatanna was right. Tragic didn't begin to cover it.

"Anyways there wasn't a whole lot of emotion there, just..." She rolled her eyes. "You know." She paused. "I hate talking about this, so long story short as soon as mom got out we moved, and I hadn't seen Cameron since."

Sometime during the story Wally had moved to sit upright next to her, his hand once again tracing lazy but comforting circles on her skin. It was hard not to feel sorry for her, but he was quite certain pity was the last thing Artemis wanted. Really all she needed was one guy who wouldn't let her down. Just one. He smiled.

"You're a lot like Daenerys actually. There's a lot of fire in your blood."

Her arms fell to her lap as she gave him a sidelong stare. "Fire in my blood?"

"_Fire and Blood_ are the words of Daenerys's family. Like their house credo."

"Feels angry. What else you got?"

"Let's see..." he thought as he picked up her hands. Her skin was soft under his, surprisingly she didn't shy away from the contact. "There's House Martell..."

"What are the words of House Martell?" Neither one looked at the other, simply staring at their joined hands.

"_Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken_."

She gave a soft chuckle. "Are you suggesting that I _should_ be bowed, bent, and broken?"

"Now I never said that." His thumbs began to trace down the length of her slender finders as if they had a mind of their own.

"So I'm not bowed?"

"Oh no."

"Not bent?"

"Not that I can tell."

"Not broken?"

He looked up to find two blue-grey eyes boring into his own. It seemed that without any warning, they had slowly inched closer until now their noses almost touched.

"You are definitely not broken."

With that their lips met. It wasn't nearly as heated as Wally had imagined (not that he imagined kissing her or anything), but carried a different kind of passion. The feeling of her lips moving against his was the perfect feeling. They were soft yet chapped in some areas where she bit them. Her hands moved to cup his face, lightly leaning into him as she move to sit on her knees. Wally's own hands rested on her thighs as he pressed into her weight. She smelled like some sort of fruit and vanilla. It was intoxicating.

Her hair seemed to dance around them when they finally broke apart. Wally placed a soft kiss on her forehead before leaning back to look at her. Artemis's face was slightly flushed. Her teeth immediately sought out chewing her lower lip in an effort to hide her smile, but it only managed to give her a goofier looking grin. She was beautiful.

"So, if I tell you you're not broken again, do I get another one of those?"

She placed a quick peck on his cheek. "Put on the next episode, Wall-man, and I'll let you know."

Wally returned his attention back to the laptop and quickly found a working link to the second episode. He turned the computer to face them both before situating himself into the corner between the bed and the wall. Artemis's head found his shoulder and curled her arm through the nook in his elbow.

"Thank you for tonight, Wally. Meeting my friends, standing up to Cameron, this...It really means a lot."

He placed another soft kiss on her head. "Anytime," he whispered into her hair. He struggled to place his head on her's from his position and settled for placing his hand atop hers. By the time the episode had ended, both were asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

**~ROMANCE~ Ohhhhh! I mean I'm getting feels from my fic, guys, geez!**

**Hopefully being on spring break means I can churn out more of this and _Reconciliation _as a THANK YOU FOR BEING THE BEST READERS EVER gift.I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter as well as the thickening plot ;D**

**-Mags**


	9. Chapter 9

Artemis was not too happy when she woke up. Saturdays were her precious moments to sleep in to her heart's content, yet at roughly 10:30 am she awoke to loud snoring in her ear and _something_ poking her in the back. Her annoyance quickly subsided when she felt an arm tighten around her waist. OK so it was kind of nice waking up with someone else in bed, but she needed to move. Her current position was hardly comfortable what with...you know.

She tried her best to turn over without disturbing Wally who's snoring had given way to heavy breathing. He was a mouth breather. His red hair was matted down, and he burrowed his face further into Artemis's hair and shoulder as she moved. He groaned and mumbled something about sleeping, to which she just rolled her eyes. She wormed an arm out of his grip and flicked his ear.

"Wake up," she hummed as she continued to flick his ear. A hand shot out and grabbed her own. His head slowly retreated from her hair, kissing her cheek as he brought his face even with hers. The kiss instantly sent her back to their kiss from the night before, soft and sweet. She tried to hold back a smile and the urge to kiss him again as she watched Wally wake up. He was clearly not a morning person. He scowled as he blinked sleep from his eyes. The hand currently holder hers let go to rub his face as he looked around the room. Green eyes eventually found their way back to her face with a sleepy smile.

"Good morning." A yawn escaped his mouth as he spoke.

"It is a good morning, isn't it?" Her joking tone was lost on him as he gave her a confused look. Artemis smirked and quickly flicked her eyes towards the offender, now poking her thighs.

Understanding slowly made its way to Wally's features. His hands immediately went to cover his face as he groaned. Artemis couldn't help but laugh. Stuff like this only happened in the movies and tv. This was too good to be real life. Her life.

"Uhhhhhhhhhg. I am so sorry," he said through more moans. Rolling on to his back, he covered his face with a pillow in attempt to hide his embarrassment. Artemis tried to stifle her laughter, but her thin sheets only made the situation worse. She grabbed the pillow from his face and placed it over his groin with soft smile.

"The bathrooms next door if you need to...you know...take care of things."

He wore an over exaggerated frown at the suggestion. Artemis couldn't tell if he was upset over his own anatomy or if he was going to have to care of it himself. _Probably both._

"I mean, we could always-"

"Bathroom."

Wally climbed over Artemis, trying not to step on her. She laughed as he scurried out her room and down the hall.

"Stop laughing at me!"

* * *

His friends couldn't stop laughing. Wally met up with Dick, Babs, Megan and Conner at a local diner they frequented every Saturday for brunch. Megan and Barbara demanded every detail of Wally's night, and, unfortunately, his morning. It was hard to tell what the climax of the story was - his standing up for her in the bar, the kiss, watching her drift to sleep.

"I just can't believe you made a _Game of Thrones_ reference, and it actually worked. You wooed her with nerdy charm!" Barbara took a sip of coffee before adding more sugar.

"Did you really doubt me?" Wally asked as he bit into his pancakes.

"Yes," Dick and Conner replied in unison, causing the girls to laugh.

"I never doubted you, Wally, especially after hearing about Cameron." Megan took a small sip of her juice. "So was it an..." She hesitated, as if it were a forbidden subject. "An abusive kind of relationship?"

Wally swallowed. "I have no idea. It sounded like she was just kind of..." he gimmaced. "I really have no idea."

The table was silent. No one really knew what to say as they all looked around the diner and at their food. Wally worked into his eggs, but couldn't bring himself to bite.

"I really like her, Wally. I think she's great," Megan said. She gave Wally a small smile. "I think the two of you are a great match." The table nodded, mumbling their agreements.

"Yeah, so don't mess it up, idiot!" Dick said. He swiped a piece of toast off Wally's plate. Stuffing it in his mouth, Dick feigning ignorance, shrugging off Wally's insults. The mood of the table seemed to lighten putting everyone in brighter spirits.

"I've already put my foot in my mouth a dozen times, and she still likes me. What could go wrong?

* * *

Artemis could hear her phone ringing when she got home from work. The question was...where was it? Her pockets were empty and she hadn't taken her purse to work in ages. That left one place it could possibly be - her bed. She ransacked her blankets following the sound of the 8bit ring. Just as the phone slid off the bed she caught it. The number was unknown, but she had a very good feeling who was calling her.

"Hello?"

"Word on the street is you have a new boyfriend..."

"It's only been like...two weeks! He's hardly my boyfriend."

Her sister laughed on the other side of the line. "Well, the subject of "boning" was brought up, so I just assumed."

"Really? You believed Cameron?" She rubbed her eyes before taking her hair down from its ponytail.

"Careful! Too much sex and you'll end up with a family, and we all know how much you'd hate that." Jade's voice had a purr-like quality to it that Artemis had always admired. Despite they're rocky upbringing, the two had always managed to stay close...in a twisted-Jade left as soon as she learned how to drive leaving Artemis alone with their dad and a less than perfect boyfriend-sort of way. The kept in contact mostly through voicemails, but had rekindled a more sisterly bond when Artemis heard (through their mother) that she was an aunt. And had a brother-in-law. Needless to say it was a shock.

"It's hardly anything serious. A couple dates, that's it. Why did Cameron tell you anyways?"

"Mostly shock value I would imagine. You know how he is...always eager to please." A high pitched giggle could be heard in the background as well as a very loud crash. "Ssshhhit. Why doesn't she ever sleep?"

"You know how Nguyen women are. Put her on the phone."

Artemis begged for a solid minute to talk to her niece. She had a soft spot for her, all kids really. They were so innocent and honest. How everyone should be in her opinion. Jade finally relented, setting the phone down to get Lian. Coos and giggles soon drifted through the line, and Artemis laughed along. Funny voices, singing Lian's name, she knew how to send her niece into a fit of giggles every time. After a couple minutes she heard her sister declare it officially bedtime, earning her a "love you, Art!" from the toddler.

"Goodnight, Lian. I love you." She heard Lian run off as Jade took back the phone. "Does mom know about him?"

"Your boyfriend? I doubt it, although I'm sure she'd love to hear about him. Or from you. You know...either or."

She sighed. It had been a couple weeks since she had called her mom, which was odd considering how close they were. Her thoughts ventured to her other parent, the one who would be much more interested in Wally for all the wrong reasons. "Did he mention dad?"

There was a long pause from Jade's end that worried Artemis. "No," she finally said. Artemis sighed again as her sister continued. "He didn't mention him or any plans of telling him. You never know with him though. He hardly thinks things through." Another pause and Artemis fell back onto her bed. Maybe she was just that easy to read over the phone. Maybe her waves of anxiety were just that strong. "Don't worry about it. If something happens, you can deal with it." She could practically hear the smirk in Jade's voice. "Just ignore the bastard. It's that simple."

They said their goodbyes and Artemis rolled over in her bed. Her empty bed. It had only been one night, how was she already accustomed to sharing her bed? She turned and groaned into her pillow.

_Nope. We're not doing this. Not this quickly. _Of course she liked Wally, why wouldn't she? He was that super witty character on her your favorite tv show. The issue was, it was just happening too fast.

_I mean I really like him._

_..._

_Dammit!_

* * *

**It was his penis. I was referring to his penis. Things will be picking up real soon, some actual romance, some plot, but at least we had the return of the humor! Lord knows we need it what with all these depressing fics floating around now.**

**100+ reviews! I never thought I'd get twenty and I would leave this here to die in my sorrow. You guys are truly what makes this story grow. Thank you all!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this, reviews are always welcome, and as always I love your faces.**

**-mags**


	10. Chapter 10

Days and weeks quickly passed, and Wally and Artemis grew closer. They continued alternating dates with Wally's friends and nights with hers, occasionally breaking for nights between the two of them. The solo dates were always casual - takeout, Wally catching her up on _Game of Thrones, _marathoning shows on Netflix until they finally fell asleep on the couch or their bed. Despite the growing relationship neither really brought up their definition. Could they officially use the term "boyfriend" or "girlfriend"? Were they exclusive? Wally just sort of assumed, but was weary to push things too far.

Not that he wouldn't mind things going further, but all in all he was very content, especially when he woke up to blonde hair in his mouth and half the covers missing. She might not have sounded great on paper, but he never did sleep as well by himself. He wasn't even upset with how much he loved when she complained about his snoring or when she would push him out of bed at night.

But he would crawl back into bed and place a soft kiss on her forehead like he did every other time.

This week they were at Wally's apartment enjoying their customary subs and Netflix. It had taken awhile, but Wally had finally managed to talk Artemis into watching _Buffy_, another strong-willed blonde he knew she would love. He just hadn't expected her to love it as much as she did. They breezed through the episodes and argued over Spike and Angel, but both agreed yes, Giles was the best character.

Yes, things were going nicely as they continued watching. Sort of watching. Wally found Artemis pressed beneath him as her hand worked tangles in his hair. Smooth lips pressed into his neck as his slowly worked towards her ears, now hidden behind masses of golden hair. Things never really progressed past making out like teenagers on the couch, and again, Wally would have loved to go further. It was just that something always got in the way.

Like tonight.

"My phone's ringing," her soft voice mumbled into his shoulder.

"It's fine." He placed a soft kiss just behind her ear causing her to shiver and exhale quickly. "Get it later."

"That's my mom's ring." Her voice was carried by small pants that shifted her tone upwards. He loved how throaty her voice normally was, but the lightness of this was different, and nice.

And sexy.

"We haven't talked in a month." She had stopped running her fingers through his hair, now slowing drawing lines on his back. His head fell forward in frustration falling in the crook of her neck. Sighing, he relented and allowed her to scramble towards her phone.

"Ma? Mom? Hey, what's up?" She tucked her hair back up into a ponytail, and Wally continued frowning. There went any chance of continuing their fun. His attention was brought back to Artemis as she stood up to pace phone in hand.

"I've had work and school. I've been busy...Yeah, I met a guy-...Mom!" She turned to look back at him, but her eyes fell just short of his own. Her lips quirked in to a smile. "Annoying," she replied, continuing her conversation.

"I don't know...Well, maybe over the break we can...Yes, he is...No! Mom, no, we're just eating dinner!" She rolled her eyes and switched her phone from the right to the left. "I'm sorry Jade told you first...How about I call you tomorrow?...I love you, too. 'Night, mom."

* * *

"Ma? Mom? Hey, what's up?" Her hair was a knotted mess. It happened a lot when they were watching Netflix. She was just happy her hair was shorter now. Her mom was talking a mile a minute. Why hasn't she called? Who's this boy she's been seeing? Oh yes, and how was school?

"I've had work and school. I've been busy."

"And enough time to meet boys, but not call your mother?" You gotta hand it to Paula Nguyen. She always got straight to the point.

"Yeah, I met a guy-"

"But boy's aren't everything! You still have school and your future before you need to start getting serious."

"Mom!" She couldn't believe this. Of all the women in the world, her mother should know how careful Artemis is with guys. What was the saying? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree?

Her mother was silent for a moment before continuing. "So what is he like?"

Artemis turned back towards Wally who was now sitting up on the couch. Her eyes started for his when something caught her eye. Just visible above the collar of his shirt sat a small red mark, nothing too suspicious, but scandalous nonetheless. She smiled at her work.

"Annoying."

"Hmm. When will I meet this annoying boyfriend? Are you coming up here soon?"

"I don't know." They had been dancing around labeling each other for weeks. It was exhausting in its own way. She would love to see her mom again, but for Wally to meet her? That was too much. Too much too soon. "Well, maybe over the break we can."

"He's there, isn't he?" _Ugh, she would._

"Yes, he is."

Another pause. "You were in bed, weren't you?"

"No! Mom, no, we're just eating dinner!" Artemis felt her eyes roll on their own accord. She wasn't surprised. Her mother never skipped an opportunity to be an over protective mother.

"Well, I wouldn't know. I had to find out about him from your sister!"

"I'm sorry Jade told you first. How about I call you tomorrow?"

"Fine. I want to know all about him. I love you, you know that?"

"I love you, too. 'Night, mom." She turned back to an all but forgotten Wally now lying down on the couch. His hands were supporting his neck as he watched her fondly. "What?"

"Does mother approve of me?"

"Mother doesn't know you," she replied as she crawled back onto the couch. She cuddled against him, but was far enough away to still evaluate his features. There was always a softness in his eyes when they were alone, but it was probably just the angle.

"I'll have you know that I often frighten mothers and concern fathers when it comes to their daughters." He smirked and pulled her closer to plant a slobbery kiss on her cheek. Artemis could never decide how she felt about those kisses. They were pretty gross, but utterly Wally.

"Oh really?"

"I have been known to give off a bad boy vibe, if you will." He attempted to go in for a kiss, but Artemis couldn't help but laugh. The thought of Wally being even a bit of a jerk to his girlfriend was hilarious to her. He just didn't have it in him! "What?"

"I hate to break it to you, kid," she laughed, "but you are hardly a villain."

"I am plenty bad, than you very much!" He was doing that thing again where he pretended to be seriously offended. Another one of his dumb Wally quirks.

"Oh really."

"Yeah really!" She raised her eyebrows in challenge. _This should be good._

* * *

Wally is hardly a patient guy. He was always buzzing with anticipation over something, but he would also tell you first hand that good things come to those who wait.

And this was oh so very good.

They stumbled into his room with lips on lips and cheeks and necks and just about any other place they could reach. It wasn't until she tripped over one of his shoes that Wally remember just how messy his room was. Picking her up, he walked over to the bed and dropped her, careful as not to hurt her, but then again...he had been a little distracted by the teeth on his earlobe.

Almost as soon as she hit the mattress she lunged for his shirt attempting to remove it from his long torso. Her eyes flashed as she let out some sort of predatory growl and moved to touch his chest. Wally moved to stop her and reached for her own shirt and pulled it over her head.

"Only fair," he breathed and went in for another kiss. Before he reached her she had already switched their positions and was heading for the door.

"Um...The bed's over here..."

"I know. I'm just getting the lights." It was just then that Wally noticed she was covering herself in the absence of her bra. When she had removed it he wasn't exactly sure. Probably before they started watching tv. He took a step closer to her.

"But then I can't see you."

She flipped the switch. "It's better with them off."

"Better or easier?" She didn't respond, but he had a feeling it was the latter. Based on everything he had learned it only made sense that she was a lights off kind of girl. His eyes gradually adjusted to the dark, but he was able to make out her figure. Her arms still covered her chest as she stood against the wall. He couldn't see her face, but Wally was certain she was looking down.

"I get that in the dark, it's easier to pretend you're somewhere else or with someone else, but.." He paused. The issue wasn't him, and it wasn't her. It was all the other guys. "How about we turn the hall light on, so you don't kill yourself on the way back to bed? Plus I would also like to be able to see you, and..." He laughed. "what I'm doing."

She didn't respond, not with words at least. Seconds later he felt two hand wrap around his waist and a soft pair of lips kiss the center of his chest. Slowly she started walking away, mumbling curses when she tripped.

* * *

He fell asleep first, but Artemis couldn't blame him. Most guys did. Most guys also rolled over and started snoring almost immediately. Wally was different. He had stayed awake for a while, but they didn't talk. They just held each other.

It was nice. It was probably how it was supposed to be done. Sweetly. She turned her head to look at him. Her hair was caught in his, strands on his eyelashes. It was a miracle he could breath at night with all that hair in his face.

She turned slightly to kiss his nose before turning onto her other side.

"Goodnight, Wall-man. Sweet dreams," she yawned. Wally stirred and threw his arm around her torso.

"Night." She gripped his hand and brought it to her lips.

Yeah, he was a good one.

"...Love...you," he mumbled. She tensed.

_What?_

* * *

**Ha..Hahaha...Hahahahahahahaha! Soooo I was a bit late, but I think this was worth it, am I right?**

**Many thanks to all the wonderful comments, particularly the guest who wrote "_Yes keep up the glorious spitfire *cough* hot sex"_ and made me laugh in the middle of the library. You win. I wish I could thank you all personally, and maybe one day I will.**

**Have a wonderful Passover if you celebrate that, and if you don't, that's also cool. I love yo faces as well as your reviews.**

**~mags**


	11. Chapter 11

**Many thanks for the kind words. As always I am shocked by the positive feedback and ever thankful.**

**To Roxy-Bluff: I have no idea if I'll be posting a separate explicit sexy chappy. I'm toying with the idea, but I can barely handle sex in person like how do write? I've never even touched smut! But then again, this is my first real go at writing a fic ;D**

**RockyLover: Unfortunately I don't plan on having Oliver in the story. I don't want there to be too many characters, and there's no need for her to be picked up by him when he's not going to be doing to whole "BE MY NEW APPRENTICE. ESCAPE YOUR FAMILY. BE A REAL HERO" deal. She's got who she needs for this AU.**

* * *

"And she hasn't talked to you in a week?" Raquel asked. She sipped from her drink as she lounged in Kal's spot in their booth at The League.

It was true. Wally and Artemis had exchanged maybe a handful of sentences since they had last been together. It had been nice, or so he thought. Nothing weird or over romanticized. Just two people having sex. Really good sex.

"Maybe you were just bad in bed," Dick offered, garnering him smack on the head from his best friend.

"Aw maybe you should tell us how he normally is." Barbara kissed him on the cheek as the table laughed. Dick leaned in to pass the kiss along to Wally, but was only swatted away.

"I don't need that picture in my mind." Conner grimaced into his beer, and Megan giggled as she ran her hand through her boyfriend's hair.

"Well you had to have done something. Girls just don't stop talking to you after sex." Dick took a sip of drink and gave his best friend a suspicious look.

"I did!"

Everyone turned to look at Raquel. She shrugged noncommittally as she poured herself another drink from the pitcher.

"Rocket, your ex was a deadbeat who didn't want to support your kid. This is a liiittle bit different," Wally said as he dug into his food. Ah delicious potato skins. Raquel only rolled her eyes as she continued pouring.

Megan gasped and the table turned their attention on her. "Oh, Wally! You didn't get her pregnant, did you?"

"I didn't get her pregnant."

"Exactly. He's too stupid to not wear a condom." Dick eyed his best friend. Wally's eyes narrowed, but he didn't make eye contact.

"She's not pregnant."

"I take that back. He is too stupid."

* * *

Wally sat his stuff down as he took his seat the following Monday next to Artemis. She had been sitting in the back of the lecture hall as opposed to the middle, where she had started sitting with Wally. Her hair provided a curtain to the outside world as she dipped her nose further into her book, _The Moonstone._

"You've been avoiding me," he said in a singsong voice. He unpacked his stuff onto his small desk. "Like I actually watched you cover your face with your hair when I walked in."

"I'm not avoiding you. I've just been busy." Her eyes skimmed back and forth over the pages of her book. "I picked up a couple extra shifts at work. Need the extra cash."

He nodded slowly. He didn't doubt that she needed cash - not that she was poor or anything! But who doesn't want extra money? The only problem was now he couldn't get his conversation with his friends out of his head. Suddenly needing extra money, being uncomfortable around him...It was all too coincidental. He cracked.

"Are you pregnant?"

She finally turned to look at him, but he couldn't tell if she was just really surprised or amused. Her mouth was a gape but forming a smile. After the longest five seconds of Wally's life she finally responded, "No."

"Are you sure?" He was relieved, but you could never be too careful with these kinds of things.

"Well, I am currently taking the pill, but I also get this monthly reminder that came a couple of days ago." Artemis closed her book and stashed it in her bag. "Don't worry. You're not going to be a dad before you graduate."

Wally's hands immediately ran through his hair. _Oh thank god. _He didn't need a kid and he had worked himself up over nothing. That just meant one thing. She was avoiding him because of something _he_ had done.

"Ok...then why aren't you talking to me?"

"I'm talking to you right now."

"Yeah, but you're doing that hair thing you do when you're uncomfortable."

Artemis let go of her hair and tossed it over her shoulder. Her eyes met his as she assessed him. If only he could he read minds...He hadn't even noticed that class had started. That seemed to happening more and more often when she was around. Time seemed to fade away.

"So...was I just...not a good performer then?" His voice dropped to whisper.

"No," she replied with a soft smile. "You were very good. It was nice." Her eyes flashed as she leaned into shoulder. "We can totally do it again sometime."

"As much as I love hearing that, you're still clearly upset with me. I'm your boyfriend - yes, your boyfriend. Deal with it. If I did something to weird you out I want to know."

* * *

She turned back to the front of the hall, pretending to take notes. Wally turned to do the same, defeated. They stayed like that for a few minutes before he let out an exaggerated sigh. He was such a drama queen sometimes. Really, why were they dating?

Boyfriend.

He had used the word, much to her..._What's a combination of chagrin and delight? _It was probably for the best. They had slept together, been seeing each other regularly for..._Had it already been months? _Plus he had said...the thing.

Nobody knew about the thing, not even Zee. She hadn't told her sister or her mother. Bette didn't know. Karen and Mal definitely didn't know. It was festering inside her, eating away and giving her way too much anxiety. Maybe she just needed to talk about it.

"You said something after sex that threw me off."

Maybe she was just going to blurt it out without thinking.

"What?" He had turned back to look at her, confusion clearly written on his face.

"Yeah...Just kind of slipped out I guess? You didn't even seem to notice...Started with an 'L'." Artemis was still facing forward. Talking about this was stressful enough as it is. If she didn't have to look at him, she could just end the conversation whenever she wanted, right? That's how relationships work, right?

Wally seemed to panic. "Listen, I haven't seen her since high school. We only talk on Facebook, birthdays and whatnot." He kept rambling, and Artemis had no idea what he was talking about. Another girl's name would have been ten times easier to deal with.

"What? Wally, no. Different L-word."

"L...-esbians?"

"No, but thank you, _Wallace_. I have now fulfilled my dream of reenacting _Scott Pilgrim_," she sighed. _Just tell him. Just get it over with...like a band-aid. _"Wally.." She looked around before finally turning back to face him. "You told me you love me."

* * *

He would have rather said Linda's name than tell her that. Maybe not, because he's said the wrong name during sex before and that did not end well. Did he love Artemis though?

Maybe.

It was way too early to tell. Usually he had already said it by now, but it wasn't like _love _love. Artemis had that potential to be more, but he had planned on not ruining it by doing something stupid. So much for that plan.

"I...what?"

"Ok so you were like half asleep, and I turned over to kiss you goodnight and all that shit, and then you said goodnight and did the cuddly thing and it was nice, and then you ruined it all by saying you love me." She didn't seem angry, just really annoyed. Annoyed that someone cared? She really was impossible to read sometimes.

"So I was asleep..."

"Half asleep."

"Does it count if I was sleeping?"

"Half asleep, but either way you were thinking it. It was still a thought in your brain."

She was such a girl.

"Ok, but even if I do feel that way, which I'm not saying I do-"

"That is the definition of a backhanded compliment..."

"Would it be so bad?"

Her eyes locked on to his. They swam with some mix of emotion that he couldn't make sense of. Annoyance. Anger. But then there was betrayal, sadness. Her grey-blues truly were a storm.

"Yes. I've told you that I don't want something serious, and I am definitely not a fall in love kind of girl." Her voice had risen above a whisper and people were starting to look in their direction. She threw all her belongings into her bag. Stepping over him, she told him she would call him later, leaving him stunned.

_Dick was right. I am that stupid._

* * *

Artemis walked into a dark apartment when she got home from work. Things were quiet as she stumbled into her room where the lights were also off.

"You really need to get over Batman fanatics, dad. Climbing into a college girl's apartment at your age is just creepy."

She flipped on the switch to find her dad - no, Lawrence - standing near her closet. He had gotten old since she had last seen him all those years ago. How long had it been? Five years, at least. Five great years.

"You haven't lost your touch. Probably knew it was me when you opened the front door." He didn't smile. He never smiled.

"Zee never turns the lights off. Thinks it will deter predators." She turned to look at him. "Guess she was wrong."

"Predator is such a harsh word for your father."

"Father is such a nice word for the man who put my mother in a wheelchair and sent her to prison."

The two stared at one another, familiar blue eyes meeting hers. A traditional Crock family stare down. It was a real reunion. Artemis had sat down on the bed, but she wasn't going to give him the privilege of her undivided attention. He broke the silence first.

"How's your mom?"

"None of your business."

"How are you?"

"Also none of your business." Her eyes never left her phone, fingers flying over the keyboard. "I assume you're not just here to shoot the breeze. What do you want?"

"Talk about the family business." Lawrence got off the doorframe and started walking towards her.

"It's not a family business, and you're absolutely not family."

He shook his head."Harsh, but I think you're going to want to hear what I have to say."

Her "dad" sat down on the edge of her bed, but she was determined to show no fear. Her fingers stopped on the keys as she hit the final button, before returning her gaze to the man on her bed.

"What do you have to say?"

* * *

**Happy Easter to you all, if you celebrate easter! If you don't, happy game of thrones day!**

**We now have the final piece of the plot in place, and now we begin the real climb to the zenith and then...the end! Not too sure how much more I have chappy wise, but you'll have a fair warning to the finale. **

**Have a great week. I love your reviews and I love your faces**

**-mags**


	12. Chapter 12

**PS-I listened to Tegan and Sara's "Where Does the Good Go" for pretty much the entirety of my writing this. May or may not be a nice one to listen to hint hint.**

* * *

_**Dad's here. Get here quick. Make it convincing.**_

That's all her message had said. Now Wally was racing across campus trying to think of a good reason for he would show up this late at night. He stopped by a CVS for a moment before continuing to Artemis's apartment. Truth be told he was just happy he wasn't in the doghouse after their...misunderstanding.

What were they even fighting over? Wally had been left in a daze ever since class, and the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. From what he understood, she was mad at him for saying "I love you", only he didn't remember saying it, and he had been asleep.

Women!

He finally arrived at Artemis's only to find the front door unlocked, incredibly out of character for both girls. Stepping through the door, he heard a gruff voice coming from Artemis's room.

"Well, better get ready to meet dad," he mutter as he made his way along the familiar hallway. Time for his big acting debut! "Babe!" His voice rang through the apartment in a singsong tone. "Are you ready to celebrate?"

He walked into Artemis sitting at the head of her bed, arms crossed and eyes never leaving her father. Her father. A beast of a man with frighteningly familiar features. There was no mistaking their relation. Same hair, same eyes, same aggressive air wafting off them. But this wasn't time to get intimidated, he had to get him out of there lest Artemis find a real reason to hate him.

"You," he said as he started toward the man, "could only be Arty's dad. Hi, I'm Wally, and I promise you...I treat your daughter like the goddess she is." He turned around to face Artemis. "Babe, you should have told me he was coming in, we could have made plans! Anyways, this is for you. Happy anniversary."

She took the small box from his hands. "Thanks, babe. But dad was just leaving. He's got a long drive back home, don't you, dad?"

The man seemed to get the hint as he straightened up, eyes dancing between Wally and his daughter. His eyes landed on Wally before he headed towards the door. "I'll show myself out. I'll see you later, little girl."

With that he was gone. Wally stood in the middle of the room while Artemis remained on her bed. Without so much as word she grabbed a pillow from behind her back and brought it to her face. The pillow did little to muffle her screams, but Wally didn't doubt that it helped relieve the stress.

"An anniversary? Really?" She brought the pillow down to give him an incredulous look.

"I figured it was better than a marriage proposal."

"That's not funny, Wally."

"It's kind of funny." He sat down on the foot of her bed. "But the gift really is for you. I kinda forgot to give it to you on Valentine's Day."

She rolled her eyes as she opened the box, but Wally could tell she was anxious. There was only so much that could fit in a box that small, and a Valentine's gift on top of that?Yeah, maybe the proposal joke wasn't as funny as he thought. Artemis brought the item out of the box and her eyes softened. In her hands was a small pin in the shape of a sun with a spear dividing it in two. A tag hung from the clasp with three small words written in elegant script.

_Unbowed. Unbent. Unbroken._

"I really hate you sometimes," she said. Her fingers ghosted over the face of the pin. "Whenever I start getting mad at you, you do something to remind me just why I like you so much." Her eyes slowly met his. "It's really annoying."

"You're welcome." Wally scooted closer to her. "Are you ok...with like your dad and everything?"

She sighed. "His name is Lawrence. Don't...don't call him dad." Her attention had returned to the pin, flipping the tag between her fingers. "He had a proposition of sorts, and, as always, mom was at the center."

"Is she alright?" Wally had heard nothing but wonderful things about Paula Nguyen. He was surprisingly attached to her for having never met her. It was probably because she meant so much to her daughter.

"Yeah. I mean she still has a ton of loans out from her medical and legal fees, plus there's her rent and all that stuff. She's hardly in a good part of Gotham-"

"You're from Gotham? How did I not know that?"

"It wasn't important. Anyways it's hardly a good area, and money's tight, so things have been stressful. On all of us. Jade and I help out as much as we can, but it's hard when we're all over the country."

Her legs stretched out over Wally's, which he found surprisingly comforting. It was always reassuring when she would reach out to him instead of him always making the first move.

"So being the all-knowing creep he is, Lawrence shows up and offers to pay for all her bills, finally take care of his wife and mother of his kids. She wouldn't owe him anything. A real gentleman, right? Except there is a catch. I go work for him in the "family business". Collateral of sorts."

"Blackmail."

She smiled. "Just add it to his resume."

* * *

They were silent, her legs still stretched out onto his. Her hands still played with her House Martell pin. _What did you think it was going to be? Diamonds? _She felt as though her world had been flipped upside down recently. Wally, Cameron, Lawrence...

Men!

"So..." Wally broke her from her thoughts. "Are we going to talk about this?"

"Talk about what? I just told you about dad. Damn. I mean Lawrence."

His hands went from his hair to her legs, gently rubbing them through her jeans, slowly working down to her feet. Oh no. A foot rub after work without her asking? He was buttering her up.

"You know what I mean."

Artemis did know exactly what he meant, and she had been dreading this talk for days. What was she supposed to say? _Oh it's not you, it's me and literally every other guy I know who's said that to me then abandoned me and more or less emotionally abused me my whole life? Now I know you didn't know, but you really ought to have guessed that. _

"Just start from the beginning."

The words poured out like water. "Dad always said it whenever he needed something or was trying to talk us into doing something. Like I could always tell that mom meant it. She was so honest, always look us in the eyes when she said it. Dad never looked at us, or shrugged Jade and I off. 'I love you, dad!' 'Uh-huh.'" The pin had fallen to her lap as she subconsciously brought her hand to her hair. "Then there was Cameron, and ugh he never actually wanted to date me. Just saw it as a way to please his dad and mine. I was just a bonus, but I didn't care! I was like 14, 15 and he was...17? And I had no idea Lawrence was behind it, but I should have guessed. Cam was never around and when he was all he wanted was to make out and have sex. He said he loved me, so he had to have meant it, right?"

She was angry now. Or maybe she really was that torn up over it. Half of her naturally straight hair hung in soft waves, a few strands in perfect spirals. Her hands had already moved on to the other side of her head as they worked mindlessly through her ends.

"And after a while that's all it was. He'd get drunk, tell me he loves me, flop around for a couple minutes and go to sleep. That, surprisingly enough, is when I took to doing it with the lights off. I didn't have to look at him, I didn't have to hear him. I turned off my world, and pretended I was somewhere else where 'I love you' means something. And there you go. All the pieces are on the table. Why I am so warped in the bedroom, and why I don't like hearing you..._you _say that you love me. Because I honestly don't know if you do mean it, and if you do, I don't know how to react."

Wally didn't say anything. His hands slowly kept rubbing her feet, hitting the exact pressure points that always calmed her nerves. Calloused hands worked up her calves and back down to her toes. There was nothing more calming. But he wasn't meeting her eyes. Artemis had finally managed to look away from her hands in the midst of spilling her guts, and Wally West was still staring at her feet. Typical.

"Or you could ignore me. That's also not an issue I have linked to my daddy issues."

"I'm thinking."

"What? Have I only just now scared you off?"

"No. I just want to word it correctly."

More silence. Ear splitting silence and all the while he worked away at her feet. Artemis picked her pin back up, reading and rereading the credo on the tag. Unbowed. Unbent. Unbroken. Unbowed. Unbent. Unbroken. Unbowed. Un-

"I like you a lot. Go so far as to say that I care about you. A lot. I'm not saying it to sleep with you, because if I just wanted to have sex, I wouldn't have stuck around for so long. But," He pulled on her legs to bring her closer. "I get the honor of making you laugh." He pulled her once more. "I get to make you smile." One last tug. "I get to kiss you whenever I like." He kissed her softly on the forehead, lingering just a moment after. "So trust me. I will never say it to coerce you."

Artemis fell back into her bed. She couldn't help but laugh. "This is like a goddam movie. All we is the quirky romantic song."

"Well, I don't have much at my disposal, but I could always sing." Wally made his way up to lie beside her.

"No thank you. I have heard you sing. Don't quit your day job, kid."

They both laughed and Wally put his hand around her waist. Artemis turned in his embrace to face him, placing a kiss on his chin in the process.

"I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore," he said into her hair. "It was less than enjoyable."

"I was never mad. I just get nervous." Her face was buried in his neck, the spot she loved to cuddle up against most. She could snuggle in closer, and truth be told, it was the best place to situate herself when she was feeling frisky.

"I very much enjoy having you in my life."

"Heh. Don't strain yourself, Artemis. When you're ready."

Sleep overcame the two quickly. They stayed like that all night, feet hanging off the edge of the bed, lights on, still in their jeans and jackets. In the morning Artemis woke to the familiar sound of snoring in her ear, only this morning it was different. Softer. Not actually softer, of course, that guy could wake Sleeping Beauty. There was just something about this morning that was...better. Usually she would turn over shut him up, but instead she turned back to her spot in his neck, and happily drifted back to sleep.

A few more blissful hours.

* * *

**So I had planned on this being up like 2 hours ago, but I was distracted by basketball and Michael Keaton, so forgive me. Also, it wasn't a cliffhanger!**

**I can see this wrapping up in about...3-5 chapters? So the end is nigh, my friends. As always, your kind words drive the story and I look forward to them with each update :D**

**Have a great Tuesday!**

**~mags**


	13. Chapter 13

"So how's your family?"

Artemis threw a pillow across the room towards Wally.

"Wally! I told you not to tell anyone!"

"Do you want me to spill your drink? And I couldn't help it!" he shrugged. "That's some heavy stuff. I can't keep that bottled up."

That weekend had been declared a double date night for Artemis and Wallly and Dick and Barbara. Wally was standing at the counter gathering "supplies" while the rest of them set up "The Throne" - a stack of all the pillows and blankets in the house, perfect for endless hours of pizza and movies.

"Heavy is putting it lightly," Barbara mentioned as she hefted an armful of blankets onto the pile. Artemis shot Dick a menacing glare which he nonchalantly waved off.

"You two keep this up and we're going to be watching every version of _Pride and Prejudice _tonight_. _Not even kidding."

"Aw, babe, anything but that. I thought it was action double feature night? _Expendables_? _Inglourious Basterds_?" Wally kissed his girlfriend's cheek as he set the drinks down.

"_Red_ and _The Raid_, but that's not the point. Why did you tell them? Wally, this isn't some Disney Channel whatever. This is like..._General Hospital_ level drama." She turned back to face Dick and Babs. "Like I'm glad you care and all, but I'd rather not get anyone involved that doesn't need to be."

"We just want to help," Dick offered. He offered a smile that Artemis gladly accepted.

Barbara threw an arm around her shoulder. "We also want to watch gory movies with you so that you may forget the stress of the world."

Before she knew it, two strong arms were pulling her down into the mess of pillows and blankets, a veritable cloud of comfort. She turned over in Wally's arms to look up at his face. A knowing grin graced his features as a smirk danced across her own. Her arm wormed its way up his chest to point in his face.

"You're still not in the clear," she mocked. His face slid into his trademark over dramatic frown. "You told them when I asked you not to. It's a big deal." Her finger tip lightly tapped his nose with each emphasizing statement. "Now do you want _Red_ or the foreign movie first?"

Wally laughed. "Uh, _Red_. Because I am a _red_-blooded American, and I _speak_ American. We will not be watching any of these...foreign fasco-communists on my tv God bless America."

Artemis laughed as she snuggled in closer. _Sometimes it really sucks. He's such a great guy, but he has to deal with all of...this. _She felt felt her head naturally fall deeper into his chest. _Ugh why am I so self depreciating? Just kill me. _

* * *

Wally woke to the sound of someone's phone ringing. His head rose from the pillows. On the coffee was the culprit buzzing loudly against his keys. Ringing. Buzzing. Ringing. It was Artemis's phone, but someone had to shut it off and looking at the screen to see Jade's name...Well she doesn't exactly call often, so...

"Hello?" His voice was still heavy with sleep, and Jade was undoubtedly thinking something vulgar. _Great. I get to start my day off with an earful._

"Put it back in your pants, and put my sister on the phone."

"Good morning, Jade. You sound cheery as always."_ Oh look, I was right. _ At this point everyone else had started waking up, except for Barbara who was burrowing further into the pillows.

"Sister. Phone. Now. I'm sure you know what this is about."

He rolled his eyes as he turned to the waking blonde. She grabbed the phone from his hand as Wally placed a quick kiss on her lips. Her head nodded towards his room as she stood. It was hardly a first thing in the morning with everyone listening.

"Family business?" Dick asked. His arm had snaked around his girlfriend's midsection as she continued to bury herself, placing a pillow over her red hair.

"Probably. She doesn't talk about it with me. Ever since I supposedly told her I loved her-"

"Can't believe you did that."

"-And her dad showing up, she's kind of retreated." Wally yawned. "Like we'll sleep together, but no more sex. She hasn't been nearly as cute. Not that she was ever...you know..." He made a whimsical gesture with his hands. Artemis was never especially affectionate, but that was ok with Wally. She was when it counted, and it was always the smaller actions that meant more. She started sleeping through his snoring. There was always extra milk in the fridge if he was coming over. They watched all the trailers on the DVD before the movie. All because she knew that's what he liked, and to Wally, that meant the world.

"Have you...asked her about it?" Dick's voice was slipping back into sleep, but Wally couldn't blame him.

And he hadn't. If there was one thing he had learned while dating her, it was that she would avoid serious conversations like nothing else. He had mentioned something about living together in passing to which she mumbled something about her lease before asking him to pass the salt. Zatanna said it was something you get used to, something you learn how to talk about. But it was also one of those things she was going to have to learn to deal with. If this was going to be a real relationship, they were both going to have to learn how to communicate.

* * *

"Yes?" Artemis mumbled into the phone as she fell onto her boyfriend's bed. _Finally! A real mattress! _Sure the date nights were fun, but they were hell on her back.

"You get a visit from dad?" Jade's side of the line was quiet. She had probably woken early enough not to disturb Roy or Lian.

"Yeah. His usual - blackmail, weapon biz., jackassary..."

"What did he say this time?"

"How did you even know da-_he _came down here?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. What she would give to go back to bed.

"Take a wild guess," Jade mused.

"Next time I see Cameron, I am punching his right in his face." There was no doubt in Artemis's mind that none of this would be happening if she hadn't of run into him at the bar. Since then her life had been upside down. Before it was just work and school. Now it was work, school, Wally, new friends, mom, Lawrence...Too much.

"Anyways," Artemis continued, "he offered to pay off all of mom's loans so much as I came home to work for him. All he said was, "You don't want to know what would happen if you said 'no'."

There was a pause on the other end. "No offense, because obviously this is hardly an ideal situation, but why you?"

"Probably that business degree I'm getting, but that's just a guess. A good front and all." Suddenly sports medicine was sounding a lot better, like it had 3 years ago. "I'm also slightly more "available" than you."

There was a long pause after that. Artemis drank it in. It was obvious where this conversation was going, it was just the exact opposite of what she wanted. What she wanted was for Jade to say it would be ok. That she would come down, and together they would tell their dad off. The thing was...they had nothing against him, and he had all the leverage on them. Proof that at one point or another they were less than outstanding citizens, knowledge of Paula's location and stability, and worse yet, a handful of men who would do anything to make a quick buck or impress a growing crime lord.

Your average Gotham family.

"You know what you need to do, right?" The sound of her sister's voice startled Artemis from her thoughts. It was amazing how she knew exactly what Jade was going to say, yet it still managed to sadden her all the same.

"Yeah..."she replied. "I know exactly what I have to do, but he's going to hate me for it."

* * *

**::Cries:: I AM SO SORRY. There was just finals, and personal things, and financial things, and fics had to take the back burner. It just got lost in life. Good news though! I know A)exactly how to end this. B) that I will probably do a sequel (no promises but, a very good chance). 3)Like...2 ideas for oneshots?**

**I am so thankful for all of you who have stuck with me and this story, especially through the "hiatus" of sorts. I'm picking up WAY more hours at work, but hopefully I'll be back onto a weekly thing for the ending. If not and you need a good pick me up in between, you should really check out _geekdad's Lightning Strikes_, like holy shit that's some good stuff. Not at all what I was expecting from the summary, so def give it a try!**

**Hope to see you all next week, and again thank you! I love your reviews, your time, and your usernames.**

**~mags**


	14. Chapter 14

**So, I kinda like to share the music I listen to while i write theses so you get the feel I'm going for. I did once with this story and _Anthems_ is totally inspired by "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl". This week's chapter has been solely influenced by the Great Gatsby soundtrack, particularly tracks 3, 4, and 11. The whole CD is worth every penny. **

* * *

Three bags sat by Artemis's car as she cleared room away in her trunk. She straightened up to assess the mess she'd only made worse. Looks like the duffles would be accompanying her in the front seat. Great. Zatanna stood nearby still her pajammas looking absolutely miserable. So maybe she had dragged her out of bed a little early, but she wanted to say goodbye and all.

"Are you sure you have to go?" she yawned. Zatanna's hair was everywhere, and she looked like she had been pushed out of bed at 6 am. Too bad it was closing in on noon.

"Yeah, the sooner I get out of here, the better." She tossed a bag into the passenger seat. "Finals are over, I'm done with my job...All that's left is-"

"Wally?"

"Huh?" Artemis looked over her shoulder to see a very confused Wally heading towards her car. She turned to Zatanna and silently had the conversation she had been dreading. _Yeah, I did. I know. I know. Yeah he's going to be mad, but this is my mom we're talking about. _The rest of her bags were tossed in the car with what she assumed was the rest of her dignity before turning back to greet him.

"Babe, what are you doing here?" She cringed. Babe? She never used pet names, especially not outside of the bedroom.

"I was just going to ask you the same thing." He planted a quick peck on her lips. "Going somewhere?"

"Uh yeah...Zee, will you run in and make sure I got my uh...phone out of my room?" Her roommate nodded before going back in, the eye roll not going unnoticed.

"I thought we were going to catch a movie today," he said. His voice was unsteady, aware of where the conversation was going. Already he looked hurt, she hadn't even gotten to the worst part yet. She leaned against the car.

"I gotta go home for a bit."

"So you're leaving now."

"I really shouldn't put it off-"

"So you were just going to leave without telling me. I'd show up for our date and you'd be gone?" Wally didn't even look angry, just taken aback. Artemis couldn't respond. Her hands made their way to the ends of her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Green eyes searched for her own, but she couldn't face him and turned for the driver's seat.

* * *

"Oh no you don't." Wally instinctively grabbed his fleeting girlfriend by the elbow. Thoughts raced through his mind as he spun her around. _She was leaving. She was leaving without saying goodbye or giving an explanation._

"Wally, let go. I need to go." Her normally bluish eyes seemed steely grey. They pleaded with him. _Don't make this harder than it has to be._

"It's about your mom, isn't it? Just tell me how to help, and I'll be there."

"It's more complicated than that. If I even think of double crossing my dad, he'll go after everyone. Not even Jade's safe. That's why I have to leave. Leave all of it behind." She kissed his cheek, hovering slightly as if she didn't want to leave. In truth, he didn't want her to. His hands moved to hold her there, but she was already pulling away. "I'm sorry."

He watched her pile into the car and start the engine. She didn't even turn to look at him before taking off, simply pulling out of the parking lot and driving away. It felt like he stood there for hours, convincing himself that any minute she'd turn around and come back. Maybe jump out the car and into his arms. She'd try to apologize but he wouldn't let her. Any minute now...It was bound to happen.

Wally didn't even hear Zatanna walk up behind him. Eventually she cleared her throat causing him jump.

"Tell me everything," he demanded. She handed him one of the cans in her hands with a sympathetic smile. "Isn't a little early to be drinking? Even for you?"

"It's a long story. And I think you need this." he tried to muster a smile in response as they turned to go back into a much emptier apartment.

* * *

The ride was long and boring, but at least the road was mostly straight. Halfway through, Artemis hit the country which knocked out half her radio stations leaving only talk radio. It was for the best she guessed. She needed to think, yet there was too much floating around in her mind. Wally. Her mom. Her dad. Last night she had decided it was smartest to go straight to her mom's flat before searching out Lawrence, but the more she thought about it, the more the reverse sounded better. It wouldn't worry her mother, and her dad would be more likely to listen if he knew she went to him first.

She must have debated longer than she realized it because before she knew it, she was pulled up in front of a tiny apartment complex in south Gotham. Years ago when Paula Nguyen had moved in, the building looked like it was ready to fall over. Not much had changed in the last few years except the addition of a wheelchair ramp, but that was only because Artemis had petitioned the city. Now they were in all the residential buildings.

The front door opened to revealed a gloomy Paula. Artemis had started joking that it was her natural expression, but it honestly was, and that pained her the most. She pulled a smile on for her mother as she got out of the car.

"Hi, ma." She ran up the steps to hug her before fetching her bags. She could smell dinner on her causing her stomach to growl. "Stuffed peppers?"

"The last of the frozen ones you and your sister left me. Let's get your bags inside. It's going to rain soon."

"A true Gotham welcoming."

After the long ride, fatigue weighed Artemis down almost as much as her luggage, but she was happy to be home._ Home_ home. Everything was exactly as she had left it. The furniture was outdated but functional and pictures of Artemis and Jade were everywhere. A picture of her mom's family could be found here and there, but she could never remember the name of her relatives.

"Your sister called," her mother mentioned as she prepared a plate for her daughter.

"Fill you in on the latest family drama?"

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. You were given life to do great things and be happy, not take care of me." She handed Artemis her plate piled high with peppers and salad. True comfort food.

"Mom, after everything you've done for me, this is the least I can do," she murmured. Her fork slid into the soft green pepper, gathering as much of the filling as she could.

"I just want you to be safe," she heard her mother say from the kitchen. Paula wheeled back in with a plate of her own. "There will be plenty of time to talk about this after you see you father. Let's eat."

Artemis smiled as she brought the fork to her mouth. It was delicious as always, a mixture of savory ingredients. She reached for the remote and flipped the television on.

"What are we watching?"

"Golden Girls. We need a happy mother-daughter story"

* * *

"So she's going to see her dad...and work for him." Wally's beer laid untouched on the table in front of him. Zatanna drank from her's, but she had maybe drank half the can.

"From what I gather, I think both her sister and mother know what's going on. All she told me is what you know." She played with the tab on the can as she explained. Apparently Artemis saw the whole situation as more or less hopeless from what Wally could tell. She transferred out of school and even looked into apartments near her mother to make sure she was ok.

"I just don't understand why she wouldn't talk about it. She made it seem like she was ok, that she was just going to work more hours and support her mom," Wally replied.

"There's always more to her dad than what he seems. When he says he'll do this, he does that. He's been that way for years." She took a sip. "She did it to keep you out of all the mess. It sucks, but it just shows how much she likes us."

He chuckled to himself grimly. _And to think I told her I loved her in my sleep. _It hurt. Really, really hurt. He had assumed they could trust each other, even with something as heavy as blackmail. Ok, maybe not blackmail, but...something. He leaned back into the couch. Artemis had to be at least half way to Gotham by now, but some part of him still hoped that maybe she would come back.

But that wasn't Artemis. When she made her mind up about something, she did it. So did Wally. It was probably why they work so well together. Well, worked. He flipped his phone over in his hands, wanting call her, let her know that he still cared and that he just wanted her back with him. That's when it hit him. Slowly, he turned to Zatanna.

"Do you by any chance happen to have Mrs. Nguyen's number?"

* * *

Paula's phone rang at an unusually late hour. Not many people called her, so anything after ten o'clock was definitely a surprise. She picked up the phone, careful not to disturb her sleeping daughter.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Nguyen? This is Wally. I'm Artemis's boyfriend."

* * *

**UGGGGGGGHHHH. You probably know what's coming next. I'm like...90% certain the next chapter will be the last. I might throw in an epilogue if I can think of something to bridge this and the sequel. Yes, there will be a sequel, but I don't know how soon that will be up. I might pause from YJ to work on an FMA story I've had floating around for oh...almost 2 years? Also some one shots, etc. I'll never abandon Yj.**

**I have 2 requests up that I had soooo much fun working on. If you guys have something in mind, I'd love to write it, or even collab! Pairings, ideas, shoot me a message and I'll see what I can do.****  
**

**One again, thank you all for reading, reviewing, everything. I hope you like you're in for what I think will be an excellent ending to what started out as complete bs haha!**

**[mags]**


	15. Chapter 15

"So Artemis dumped you and has gone to work for her criminal father?"

"Yes."

"And you're going to drive to Gotham to convince her to be with you again?"

"Yes."

"Even though she did all this to protect you and make sure daddy didn't come for you?"

"Essentially." Wally tossed a pile of clothes into his duffle before assessing the rest of his room. "There's just something not right about the whole situation. She was so mad when her dad came a few weeks ago, and now she's driving up there like it's no big."

"Maybe you don't know her like you think you did," Dick mentioned from the door. Wally shot him his coldest clare he could muster from his closet. "Look I don't mean that she's not a cool girl. You know I think she's great. It's just maybe there's more going on than you know."

Wally instantly stopped rummaging through his closet, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. It was all making sense - Dick's nonchalance, Artemis's sudden change in mind, why her mother hadn't seemed as worried as she should have...All of it clicked. Slowly he rose to his feet, hands rubbing his eyes and forehead.

"What do you know?"

"What?" Dick wasn't paying attention, just playing with his phone. It was his tell. Technology was always able to distract him just enough so that he could pay attention without giving anything away with his body or face.

"You know something about Artemis and her dad. Like why she decided yesterday was an excellent day to pack up and leave. Why. Tell me why." He strode across the room to meet his roommate. Glancing down at his phone he found he was right. One of those games where you had to match up the colors. Dick was way too good at these games...Unless he was lying.

"You have to promise to keep your cool, because," he paused to laugh, "you're going to hate me."

* * *

Artemis woke up on the couch of her mother's living room wrapped up in blanket upon blanket. Instantly she was reminded of all the times she and Jade would awaken like this. They would smell bacon in the microwave and strudel in the toaster. It was always their ideal morning...up until her sister left. That was when Artemis remembered what today was.

D-Day.

She sat up to stretch as she looked out the window. Dawn was barely breaking over the Gotham skyline. Sleep started to crawl back into her mind as she stood up. She could easily get a few more hours of sleep, but something in the far back of her mind kept her alert. Glancing down at her phone she saw a couple of texts and missed calls, all from Wally. All the messages sadly sweet.

_**I'm sorry.**_

_**Be careful.**_

_**I'm also still kind of waiting for you to coming running back to your apartment, so feel free to do that.**_

It stung. It hurt so much, but this was the only way. Soon everything would be over, and then what? She mysteriously shows up on Wally's doorstep and apologize? They would reunite in some sort of crazy passion filled night and things would be back to normal? She was just going to have to hope and pray.

She shook her head as she walked into the kitchen to look for the coffee. Her mother was always a tea drinker, but made sure to keep some on hand. Sure enough, in the very back of the pantry was a half empty tin waiting to used once more. It was undoubtably old, yet it still retained its glorious aroma. She flicked the switch on the ancient coffee maker and listened as it slowly came to life. The idea of getting her mother a new coffee maker had crossed her mind many times. One of the ones where you can use the little containers of coffee or tea, but she knew her mom would never use it. She preferred her kettle, the one that had belonged to her mother and would one day be given to Artemis or Jade.

Time passed slowly and filled with many cups of coffee. After her third or so, Artemis checked the clock to find the time at only about half past nine. In the back, she could hear her mom getting ready for the day, showering, bumping into the same doorframe that she had been hitting for years. Artemis smiled at how her mother hadn't changed through the years. Still caring, still a little bit clumsy. Eventually she wheeled her way out of her room with her purse on her lap.

"I need to get some groceries if you're going to be here for a few days. l'll be back around lunch." Paula rolled over and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"You should have told me. I could have picked some stuff up on my way in. Why don't you let me get dressed. I'll go with you." Artemis put down her coffee to get up, but her mother's hand stopped her.

"Don't worry about it. One of the neighbors has been helping me, and you have enough on your plate today. Just relax, and I'll be home to make you a good lunch." She squeezed her hand and gave her a smile. "I love you, Arty. Everything will be fine." Artemis smiled in return and followed her mother to the door.

"I love you, too, ma."

* * *

Wally sighed as he finally made it to the city limits of Gotham. The drive had been long, and flat, and while that meant he could drive faster, it also meant lots of people would drive slower on the road. And Wally hated slow drivers.

It was a bit past two in the afternoon, so hopefully his timing was alright. Mrs. Nguyen had mentioned something about Artemis leaving sometime after lunch, but that was only a vague enough time that he found himself driving around town. He had only been to Gotham a few times to visit Dick, but they never really went out to see the sights. Things had changed in the last few years, buildings taller, the cars nicer, but some areas seemed to be locked in time. Crime, poverty, bad luck. That was the Gotham that always came to his mind.

Closer to three Wally headed over to the apartment building at the address Paula gave him. Up the stairs, down the hall and to the right was her door. He stood outside contemplating his options. He could knock and plunge head first in to the drama, or walk away like Artemis had. Or was forced to. Or whatever. He straightened himself and rapped on the door. Moments later Paula answered as Wally adjusted his vision, remembering the wheel chair.

"You're taller than I expected." Her face was stern as she inspected him.

"Thank you?" Wally ran his hands through his hair nervously.

"You're just in time. She left about twenty minutes ago. Come inside."

* * *

Artemis stood outside the same sports shop her father had been running for years. It look almost the same as it had all those years ago before the shoot out. The shop seemed to be getting some actual business though, which was admittedly a nice change from its humble beginnings. She opened the doors to find that despite it's social facelift, the interiors still needed work. The men behind the counter were thuggish and huge, while the woman helping customers was deceivingly petite. Cameras all over the store told Artemis that despite its seemingly growing reputation as a family store, Lawrence still held on to his old paranoias. Breathing in some semblance of courage, she walked over to the counter.

"I need to speak with Lawrence Crock." Her eyes burrowed into the face of the man in front of her, but it was no use. He only ignored her.

"So do lots o' people. He ain't in."

"Tell him it's important." The man continued to ignore her, spending more time admiring the hunting rifles in the case in front of him. She slammed her hands on the counter. "Tell him it's his daughter, and if he doesn't want to lose the opportunity, he'll get up here pronto."

That seemed to grab both men's attention from the firearms. The first man looked to his associate who nodded solemnly. The man jerked his head towards a door behind him which Artemis knew lead to the basement. She followed him, grimacing as the smell of booze and cigars hit her nose.

"There she is," her father's voice was heard saying. "The newest edition to the family business."

* * *

"So how long have you been dating?" Paula handed Wally a glass of water as she wheeled herself across from him.

"Couple months? Pushing six maybe. We haven't really been keeping track."

"Why not?"

"There are more important things to worry about?" Wally felt himself shrink under her gaze. For such a small woman, she was unbelievably intimidating.

"You're taking care of her?

"Of course."

"You love her?"

* * *

Lawrence sat at a table surrounded by his greatest "friends." Cameron and his dad, Slade Wilson, it was meeting of all the men Artemis wanted to punch in the face.

"Let's get this party started." She looked around the room at each of the men. _The only girl. They probably think that's a good thing. _"Get out. All of you."

"Is that any way to talk during a job interview, Arty?" Cameron asked. Her gaze hardened. This kid somehow managed to always make her feel dirty, unwanted...broken.

"I'm not going to repeat myself." Her eyes flicked back to her father's. He mouth slipped into a sick smile.

"You heard the lady. She wants to go one on one, so let her." The men filed out the room, each one looking her over. _That one thinks I'm an idiot. That one still wants to bang me. That one thinks he can take me in a fight. That one knows he can. _She sat across from the man that looked way too much like her and refused to smile. "I've got your contract right here."

* * *

The water in his mouth came flying out before he could stop it. "What was that?"

"I asked if you love my daughter. It's a simple enough question." Something about Paula Nguyen looked very important despite her surroundings. Maybe it was because she was Artemis's mother. Maybe it was because she had already rolled over Wally's foot once on purpose.

"I-I...I mean I think it's a possibility, but I'm not looking to get married or anything. I'm only 22, so I'd still like to graduate, and get a dog, and -"

"I see." That's all Paula said for a very long time.

* * *

"I think contracts are a little premature. I'd like to know what I'm doing, first of all."

"You'd be managing the front. Jade told me about your fancy business degree. That could help out a lot with all these morons. And you know your way around a gun. Always a plus."

"I haven't fired anything in over five years, but that's beside the point. What kind of protection do I get. And mom."

Lawrence scratched at his chin before proceeding. "Your mom gets completely left out of all of this. So long as you don't drag her into it, she's safe. As for you, well...that all depends on your own discretion."

"So I go in blind and hope you don't mess up again?"

"In so many words, yes."

* * *

Wally looked around Artemis's room as he sat on one of the beds. The blankets were a soft purple color that he thought he remembered seeing in her apartment back at school. On the walls posters hung, most a variation on _Alice in Wonderland_. On her bedside table was one lone picture of four individuals. Two had dark luscious hair that could only belong to Paula and Jade. In the middle was Artemis holding a small baby with a puff of dark hair in a small bow. Probably a niece or cousin. Wally smiled at the picture of the cheerful women before glancing at his phone.

Five pm. This was lasting much longer than he thought it would.

* * *

"Now go a head and sign the damn thing," her dad said as he pushed the contract towards her.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Artemis replied. She savored the look on his face before pulling a few folders out of her bag. Sliding them over she smiled.

"What's this?"

"Your file. See I've got this friend who...-well you could say he's got a great internship. He was able to get me a copy of your file, and well as some other important cases here in Gotham."

"Yeah so? I've seen the evidence they have on me. Nothing they can pin me with. Plus this building is still in Paula's name."

"That's true, but you're not looking at the big picture."

"And what, Little Girl, is the big picture?" Lawrence was trying to hide his worry, but it only manifested as confusion.

"The big picture would be the one on the security cameras that prove no one in this family except you has entered this building in at least 5 years. There's also the one on your computers that show none of us have called you or the shop in that long as well." She paused. The scowl on the man's face showed that he knew exactly what she was going to say next. "And the only thing left to connect this file," the pointed to her father's, "and these is a witness. Like a daughter who grew up in the shop and saw all of these men on a daily basis."

He looked up to her from the files. She had him. Hook, line, sinker. She had him.

"What do you want?"

"Me? Want something? Never."

"Then get out!" He slammed his hands on the table, sending papers flying everywhere. Artemis quickly gathered them up before leaving. Just as she reached the stairs, she turned.

"Well, now that I think about..." Sarcasm danced in her voice as she met her father's eyes. "Stay away from mom. And Jade and her family. And me. You keep paying for mom's bills, but you will ask for nothing in return. Between this and the actual respectable shop you have upstairs, you'll have more than enough money. But if you ever try to threaten her again, I'll have these files in the commissioner's hands faster than you can blink. Do I make myself clear? You leave us alone or suffer."

He stared at her. Cold hard stare meeting an even colder stare. Artemis waved the file in the air as she climbed the steps, taunting him with her new found power. Reluctantly, he looked away. "Clear."

* * *

Wally was sitting on the couch when the door opened. He heard a thud and the sound of steps before he finally turned to greet her. Five feet from him stood a very tired and very surprised Artemis. He had never been more happy to see her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Originally this was going to be a big romantic gesture of me saving you from your dad, but then your mom and Dick filled me in on your plan, so now it's just kind of a road trip. And as happy as I am that you're ok, please don't do that again."

Artemis visibly fought back the smile forming on her lips. "You mean fake break up with you and plot to blackmail and bring down my father with your best friend?"

"Yeah, if you two could give me a little bit more information that would be swell."

He stood to walk towards her, take her in, but she fell into his arms before he could bring himself to take a step. Her arms wrapped around his torso and her face found its usual home on his shoulder. He brought his hands up to pull her in tighter, hands messing her hair and trying to grab at her chin. Finally he brought her lips to his and he melted. It had only been two or three days since he had seen her, but in that time he had worried about her more than anything else.

His hands moved to cup her face, holding her there a moment longer after the kiss broke, thumbs running down her cheeks and across her smile. She shook her head.

"What?"

Artemis shook with laughter as she looked up into his eyes. "You're an idiot, but I love you."

Wally picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He attempted to continue kissed her through gasps and laughs, but each try was met with another eruption of laughter.

"Now would be a good time to respond," she breathed.

"I'm pretty sure I said it first and this is just a very late response." He voice teased through the biggest smile he could manage.

"Wallace West, if you don't tell me you love me right now, I'm going to go back to my father and te-" Her sentence was lost as Wally managed to land a second kiss on her lips.

"I love you. Now shut up so we can go to bed." With Artemis still in his arms, he turned and headed towards her old room. He took three steps before Mrs. Nguyen stopped them.

"You sleep in separate beds," her voice yelled from her room.

"Mom, we're not even going to do anything, the bed's too small!"

"Well I was going to try, but fine we can just say "I love you" and sleep in separate beds like the 1950s no big deal," Wally muttered. Artemis smacked his head.

"Goodnight, Ma!" They exchanged goodnights before Wally set her down in front of her room.

"Well, this is my stop. I believe I'm on the couch tonight, and I'd really rather not piss off your mom." Artemis smiled as she kissed his cheek. She grabbed the pillows of her bed before turning back towards the living room leaving Wally staring into an empty room. "Where are you going?"

"She said we couldn't sleep in the same bed, but she never said anything about the same couch. Come on, there's got to be a good movie on." She winked over her shoulder as she threw pillows and blankets on to the couch.

"Have I ever mentioned that I love you?" He ask as he sat down and pulled her closer. Her head fell on to his shoulder and kissed his neck. His hand played with her hair as he watched her watch the screen.

"I think so. Feel free to mention it again."

* * *

**D'AWWWWWWWWWW. AND SOME OF YOU THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE SAD AND FILLED WITH DRAMA. Nope I'm too much of a sap for that.**

**I'd like to thank each and every single person who read this and commented and followed and everything. This story would have gone absolutely nowhere without you. You've inspired me and made me grow more confident in my writing and as a person, and that is more than I could have hope for when starting this little idea out. **

**I hope you have enjoyed the ride and will be back for future stories as well as the sequel. I'm in one collab as I type, picking up Opaul's _Ice_, and toying with the idea of a Gatsby inspired AU (if anyone wants to help with that let me know!).**

**Be on the lookout for a sneak peak to the sequel which I will be posting on this fic :D**

**Again thank you so much and have a great summer!**

**:3 mags**


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